


Confectionate Lies

by SHSL_Fangirl2636



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Background DICE (Dangan Ronpa), But he needs some sort of rival to spice things up hehe, Don't know how dramatic this will be, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, I am NOT following the game to a T, Imma start, Kokichi is end game, Lets see where this thing goes haha, Smut, Somewhere inbetween serious and comedical, There will obviously be V3 spoilers, This will mostly be fluff but there will def be some smut, and reader is short, anyway, kinda slow burn, oh yeah, sorry if youre not short
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:07:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28930749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHSL_Fangirl2636/pseuds/SHSL_Fangirl2636
Summary: You and sixteen other Ultimates are thrown into Monokuma's dreadful killing game. You are all strangers locked in an enclosed place, forced to kill or be killed in order to graduate. Nine girls, eight boys, all left in mental disarray as each killing becomes more brutal, more gruesome, and more despair-inducing than the last.As tensions grow high and emotions run wild, you find yourself falling for the one person who seems to be enjoying the game-- but you can't lie that a few others have also caught your eye. You also find yourself becoming friends with a psychopathic inventor who has the hots for the Ultimate Robot all while the only thing you want to do is to bake your worries away and return to your famous bakery, away from the horrors of the killing game. As the Ultimate Confectioner, there's nothing special about you except your amazing ability to turn sugar into delicious dreams. But then why are you the only one remembering different events through the flashback lights?You dive into more confusion as more memories come to light. Is he experiencing it too? You just don't understand, but it's not like a killing game run by robot bears makes much sense either-- right?(UPDATES SUNDAY NIGHTS)
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Amami Rantaro/Reader, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Iruma Miu/K1-B0, Momota Kaito/Reader, Oma Kokichi/Reader, Saihara Shuichi/Reader
Comments: 129
Kudos: 180





	1. Prologue: Together yet Separated

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! This is my first fan fiction for this fandom so I'm kinda nervous, but I hope you like it! It took a hot minute to think of a fun Ultimate idea, so I hope you guys like sweets! Since I am short, I am making reader short, but besides that and her outfit, that's the only set appearance for her. This isn't a spoiler because it's gonna be in the prologue, but basically Kokichi and Reader knew each other before the game, but they forget due to the blackout light. This is a fun fan fiction where they gradually start to remember and fall for each other. 
> 
> Any chapters with NSFW scenes will be marked with a (*) and if there are any triggering conversations, I will be sure to write trigger warnings in the notes in the beginning of chapters like that (if any at all).
> 
> Most fan fictions I write are more of a silly tone, so I hope I can give you guys a nice mix of silly/serious content.
> 
> I've been wanting to make a fic for a while now so I hope you guys enjoy it! I will NOT be following the game word for word like a lot of fics do, so don't get upset if things are worded differently or scenes are longer/shorter and whatnot. I also will NOT be following the story to a T. In other words, perhaps some characters will die in place of others, maybe there will be whole new murder scenes that need to be solved hehe. I'm taking it as it comes, but this will most likely NOT be the exact same as the game. Of course, I do not own Danganronpa nor any of the characters from the game.
> 
> Anyway, I don't wanna give too much away, so let's start!

Darkness. Pure, overwhelming... darkness. You were pretty sure your eyes were wide open but why, then, can't you see anything?

....

' _Do I... exist'_

_...._

Amidst your confusion, you hesitantly bring a hand to your face. You can feel your skin and begin lightly tapping your facial features to confirm your existence. Gradually, releasing a sigh of relief, you brush your hand upwards, through your hair. However suddenly, your hand is stopped in its tracks, coming across a cold, metal-like wall. You subconsciously gasp at this sudden feeling, instinctively bringing both of your hands upwards to investigate the barrier.

"Huh?" You question to the void, rapidly moving your hands around. There's metal to your sides. There's metal behind you. There's metal above you. There's metal everywhere! "H-Hello?!" You frantically call out in a half scream. 

You begin to breathe rapidly, repeating your movements. Over and over again. Faster and faster. _'Why am I trapped in a metal box?! What's going on?!'_ Panic consumes you as you begin punching the metal in front of you. One hit. "Hello?!". Two hits. Three hi- "Agh!"

THUD. You fall out of the darkness, hitting the tiled floor face first. "Ugh," You groan, sprawled out on the floor. You take about three deep breaths to return your breathing to normal and to calm down. When you first open your eyes, it takes a moment to adjust to the scenery in front of you. You seem to be laying on a dusty classroom floor. Your eyes are just inches away from a row of desks, but in your perspective you can only see their legs standing tall above you. Everything has a light, green glow to it. Your body still feels a bit shaky from panicking, so instead of standing up, you prop your head up with your hands and crane your neck in the direction of where the glow is emitting from. "What the hell?" You mutter to yourself, not expecting a scy-fy blackboard to be in such a dusty room.

Slowly, you finally begin standing up, taking in all the weird scenery before you. "Agh!" You let out another surprised gasp as you notice the strange vines on the other side of the windows in the classroom. This causes you to take a few steps back, bumping into the locker behind you. On edge, you jump, and turn around swiftly. "Why the fuck was I in a locker?" You question out loud, observing the now empty locker and the still closed one.

"So are you gonna sit there and continue your one women show all day ooooor are you gonna let me out of here?" A familiar voice nonchalantly calls from inside the closed locker.

"K-Kokichi?!" You stutter, half surprised and half embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh ya know, just hanging out," He casually replies. Yup, that's Kokichi alright. "Sooooo~"

"Oh yeah, sorry," You nervously chuckle as you snap out of your thoughts and open the locker. Kokichi grins at you as he exits the cramped locker, stretching.

"Wow that only took ya like, foreves, to open. I thought you were gonna let me live the rest of my life in there, (y/n)." He whines, finishing his stretch and throwing his hands behind his head.

"Shut the fuck up," You roll your eyes, allowing a small smile to surface on your lips. It was one thing to be in this situation, afraid and alone, but now that your best friend is here, you can't help but feel at ease. "Do you know where we are?"

Kokichi takes a few steps forward, pointing a finger to his chin. He observes the room with a light hum, slowly spinning on his heels. "Ah yes, of course I know where we are!"

You raise an eyebrow at him as your eyes sparkle with hope. His expression remains nonchalant.

"Oh this? Our new high school, obviously." Kokichi throws his arms into a shrug, and inevitably back behind his head. He turns to face you with a smirk.

Your eyes instantly lose that sparkle and you drop your expression. "So you don't know."

"I mean, that _was_ a lie," He chuckles at you. You don't laugh at all. You cross your arms, shooting him a disappointed look. You two have similar personalities, yes, otherwise your friendship wouldn't work out at all. However, you had a tendency to be more mature than him in serious environments. Usually, though, he brings out the childish side of you, and then neither of you end up being serious. This was not one of those times.

Kokichi rolls his eyes. "You see through my lies too well. That's not fair, ya know. I was just trying to make ya feel better, meanie." He pouts as you walk over to the classroom door. 

"I know that you're all about games and jokes, Kichi, but you have to take this seriously," You stop at the door, trying your best to peek through the window next to it. _'It's completely red, I can't see shit.'_ Your eyes go wide with fear. "What if we were kidnapped by murderers? What if it's an occult and they want to sacrifice us to their creepy god? What if-"

You feel a soft hand on your shoulder. "(Y/n), calm down, alright. I bet whoever brought us here wants us alive for some reason." When you turn around to meet Kokichi's eyes, you catch a small glimpse of fear as well. He's a little taller than you, so you have a sense of protection with him touching you like this. You know sometimes he can't help lying, but you also know right now he's scared too. You blink, and the fear you saw in him is now replaced with false wonder. That one, genuine moment, is now replaced by another lie. "I mean, I know why they would want to keep me, I'm basically a god, but I don't know why they would want a butt ugly commoner like you. It baffles me."

You give him a fake laugh, which turns into an actual giggle. The fact that he can stay calm in such a bizarre situation eases you again. Your childish side may come out after all. "I highly doubt they see _you,_ of all people, as a god."

"Then why don't we try to go confront them and see if that's true, huh?" He smirks back at you, reaching an arm past you and pushing the door ajar.

The sudden closeness of Kokichi catches you off guard. Your faces are right next to each other. He stays, smirking at you still, and you can feel the heat rush up to your cheeks. No, you two were not dating--yet-- but you have had the biggest crush on him for like forever. Whether he feels the same, you'd never know without confessing first, and you were definitely not going to do that. You would hate to see that familiar shit-eating grin of his as he rejects you yet uses the knowledge of your crush to his advantage and basically teases you about it for the rest of your life. He would probably say things like _'Oh (y/n), I knooow you will totally_ _come with me to graffiti the school because you're obsessed with me,'_ or _'Oh my gawd, I can't find my hoodie anywhere. You must of stolen it you disgusting stalker. But I guess you can't help it because you liiiiike me.'_ Anyway, he must never know, or else you will be embarrassed about it for the rest of your life. So, to hide your blushing face, you cross your arms and push past him. "You're such an asshole."

He follows you as you exit the classroom, walking next to you now. "Me? An asshole? Nooooo, neeever."

This time you let out a tiny giggle, relaxing your arms a little. You roll your eyes. "Why am I even friends with you? You have never been nice to me, like ever." Neither of you even acknowledge the weird plant atmosphere of the halls. You are both too consumed into your conversation.

"Not uh, liar liar pants on fire," This time Kokichi crosses his arms, "Remember when I came up with the idea of egging your ex's house for being a dickweed?"

You chuckle. "Ok once, you were nice _once_." You both share a cheeky grin. "That was so funny though."

"What was his name again...?"

"Pfft! Harold Lintingberg!"

You both stop walking, erupting into laughter. "What kinda dumbass even says yes to going out with someone with a name like that? You were asking for a bad time." He shakes his head, tsk tsk tsking you.

"Shut up!" You playfully retort, punching his arm.

"Ouuuuuch! That like really hurts," Kokichi grabs his arm tightly, eyes tearing up.

"Ok I know _that_ is definitely a lie," You giggle, but his features don't change.

"Are you sure? It really hurts..."

You study his face for a moment before continuing to walk down the hallway. "Yup, it's a lie."

"Damnit," He responds, jogging to catch up to you. "I thought I had you that time, (y/n)."

"Noooope." You slow your pace as he walks next to you again. Finally, the odd interior of the school registers with you. "Uh, Kichie, is it just me or is this school extremely creepy?"

You both pass by a strange-looking dragon statue. The weeds and plants bursting through the school's tile are sporadic throughout the hallway. There's almost a thick dust in the air that doesn't seem to disappear or change. The more you think about the dusty atmosphere, the more you think about the dust tickling your throat as you breathe it in. A small cough escapes your lips as you cover your mouth. Kokichi shrugs. "Yeah, this place is giving me hella goosebumps. Nah, just kidding, this place seems normal to me." .

From spending so much time with him, you know that, that first sentence was actually the truth. You take that into account. "I'm glad you agree, I was worried for a moment."

Reaching the end of the hallway, you both stop walking. "Well, this place is so boring, let's see what's downstairs! I bet there's something fun down there."

You hesitate to walk towards the stairs and Kokichi furrows his brows at you. "I don't know, I have a bad feeling."

"Come on, I'll die up here out of boredom," Before you can even respond, Kokichi grabs your hand and drags you down the steps. 

-

"Fuck!" You scream as you and Kokichi come across huge double doors that seem like the entrance to a gymnasium. You did not care where it led, though, as long as it was away from the metal horror you both just encountered.

"Open the doors!" He yells to you as you get there first, flinging open one of the doors. As soon as Kokichi enters the room after you, you slam it shut. Both of you lean your backs onto the door, exchanging a frightened look.

"Why... are there... robots?!" You manage to blurt out in between breaths. You weren't athletic at all. Most of your diet consisted of different types of candies and cakes, you just had a huge thing for sweets.

"I have no idea, but ya gotta admit, they look so fucking cool!! I mean, would be better if they weren't like, chasing us, ya know. Kinda wished I got an autograph," Kokichi looks to you, expecting a giggle at least. He knows you too well.

And as if on cue, you giggle. "Perhaps you can always get a- uh hi?" As you talk to Kokichi, you find your eyes wandering to the inside of the gymnasium. There, stood, fifteen other people, all in plain school clothes like you and Kokichi. You awkwardly wave a hand at them, standing up straight.

"Oh shit, had no idea there would be an audience," Kokichi follows your movements, but waves a more confident wave. "Sorry to crash your party."

"This is no party, there's something real shady going on," A tall, cute boy in green hair replies calmly.

The two of you begin walking towards the group. Kokichi's confidence rubs off on you as you both approach them casually. There's just something about his nonchalance that always makes you feel better. Maybe it's because you know that under that expressionless face that Kokichi is intelligent and probably already trying to think of a way to escape this crazy scenario. He is the smartest boy in your class, so it makes sense, and he's always coming up with the most complex pranks you can think of. So, if he's confident in a situation, there's no reason for you to worry-- right? "Yeah, what's up with this abandoned high school?" Another voice chimes in.

"Forget about that! There's crazy robots out there!"

"Are we gonna die?"

"I'm too young to die."

The voices keep piling up onto each other until everyone is talking at once. You and Kokichi exchanged confused looks. "This is like cray, right?"

"No, it is. I thought I had an idea about what was happening, but nooow I'm stumped." He takes a step closer to you as he scans the gymnasium.

"Is that true? Or are you lying?" Well, there goes that feeling of confidence.

Before Kokichi can respond, the green haired boy silences everyone. "Hey everyone, calm down. This situation is crazy, yes, but there's a reason they have kept us alive this long. We just need to approach the situation in a calm manner." 

As he finishes his sentence, the double doors to the gymnasium burst open. Everyone instantly turns around, facing the doors with a gasp. You instinctively jump back into Kokichi, who surprisingly puts a protective arm in front of you, blocking the both of you from whatever was about to happen. You can feel both of your hearts racing in the moment. He is scared too.

In the doorway, five massive, metal robots stand. Each one painted a different color. A voice emerges from the red one. "Hello students, welcome to the killing game!"

Another voice echoes through the gymnasium, this time from the blue one. "You fucking dumbass! That's Papa Kuma's line!"

"Aren't you all forgetting that we're ahead of script? We aren't supposed to be in the Exisals yet, idiots," The yellow one replies this time.

"You wanna go, Jabroni?!" The blue one retorts.

"Let's fucking go, Jabroni," The yellow one says.

"Yeah, Jabroni!" The red one adds.

"We all need to calm down, Jabronis!" The pink one says this time.

As the robots fight with each other, you, Kokichi, and the others relax your stances. Confusion overcomes the fear you felt prior to the Jabroni exchange. Also, during this, you realize just how close you are to Kokichi, taking a step away from him. You blush immensely to yourself, hoping he was too in the moment to realize how close you two were. He leans over to you, though, causing your face to turn even more red. "What do you think they mean by killing game?"

"Wait, is this what I think it is?" You respond to him, raising an eyebrow.

Yet again, before Kokichi can reply to you, another voice cuts him off.

"PUHUhuhuhu!" High pitched laughter bellows from the stage behind everyone. You all turn around and are met with a black and white bear that stands on a podium on the stage. "Hello, welcome students to the famous killing game of Ultimate students!"

"Ultimate students?" A handful of people question.

"I mean, I'm good a few things, but nothing like, Ultimate," You shrug to Kokichi, who smirks back.

"Well you're good at being a dumbass, perhaps you're the Ultimate Dumbass?"

You roll your eyes and laugh along with Kokichi. The bear continues his speech. "Oh yeah, you haven't gotten your first memories yet, but don't worry! First you need to _look_ like Ultimates before _becoming_ Ultimates!" The bear clasps his hands together "Monokubz! Wardrobe!"

Before you or Kokichi can fully grasp the situation you are in, clothes begin flying everywhere. Everything happens so quick and before you know it, you are dressed in a brand new attire. You had on long, black boots with fishnet stockings. A short, pink skirt accompanied the look along with a black shirt and pink silk jacket. The jacket has your last name written in cursive on the back in a fine golden thread and to top it all off, you were given a tiny black backpack with a pink cupcake patch sown into it. A strawberry beret is glided into your hair as the final touch for your "Ultimate" outfit. You got to admit, the getup is extremely cute, but just what was your talent?

You try to spot Kokichi in the midst of the chaos, but can't see him anywhere. All the other students are talking at once and you start to worry that you lost him already. Not that you can't handle being by yourself, but you were actually just super curious about what his strange outfit would be. Finally, you hear his voice from behind. "Wow, cute getup, what are you, Ultimate Munchkin from Wizard of Monomi?"

You spin around on your heel and finally see the getup he is in. You burst into laughter instantly. "The fuck are you talking about? At least I look like I have some style, that's a lot of white you know."

"I think it suits me," Kokichi raises his arms, showing off his white coat with mis-colored buttons.

"What is even going on with your outfit? Did they give up halfway through making it?" You both share a laugh as Monokuma's voice echoes throughout the gym once more.

"Now that you have your outfits, time for your first memories! PUHUHUhuhuhu! Monokubz, you know what to do!"

And then suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and everything went black again.

-

-

-

Darkness. Pure, overwhelming... darkness. You were pretty sure your eyes were wide open but why, then, can't you see anything?

....

' _Do I... exist'_

_...._

Amidst your confusion, you hesitantly bring a hand to your face. You can feel your skin and begin lightly tapping your facial features to confirm your existence. Gradually, releasing a sigh of relief, you brush your hand upwards, through your hair. However suddenly, your hand is stopped in its tracks, coming across a cold, metal-like wall. You subconsciously gasp at this sudden feeling, instinctively bringing both of your hands upwards to investigate the barrier.

"Huh?" You question to the void, rapidly moving your hands around. There's metal to your sides. There's metal behind you. There's metal above you. There's metal everywhere! "H-Hello?!" You frantically call out in a half scream. 

You begin to breathe rapidly, repeating your movements. Over and over again. Faster and faster. _'Why am I trapped in a metal box?! What's going on?!'_ Panic consumes you as you begin punching the metal in front of you. One hit. "Hello?!". Two hits. Three hi- "Agh!"

THUD. You fall out of the darkness, hitting the tiled floor face first. "Ugh," You groan, sprawled out on the floor. You take about three deep breaths to return your breathing to normal and to calm down. When you first open your eyes, it takes a moment to adjust to the scenery in front of you. You seem to be laying on a dusty classroom floor. Your eyes are just inches away from a row of desks, but in your perspective you can only see their legs standing tall above you. Everything has a light, green glow to it. Your body still feels a bit shaky from panicking, so instead of standing up, you prop your head up with your hands and crane your neck in the direction of where the glow is emitting from. "What the hell?" You mutter to yourself, not expecting a scy-fy blackboard to be in such a dusty room.

Slowly, you finally begin standing up, taking in all the weird scenery before you. "Agh!" You let out another surprised gasp as you notice the strange vines on the other side of the windows in the classroom. This causes you to take a few steps back, bumping into the locker behind you. On edge, you jump, and turn around swiftly. "Why the fuck was I in a locker?" You question out loud, observing the now empty locker and the still closed one.

"So are you gonna sit there and continue your one women show all day ooooor are you gonna let me out of here?" A strange voice nonchalantly calls from inside the closed locker.

"Agh!" You yelp in response, unsure of how to proceed. "Uh, sorry!" You reach over, hesitantly, and finally force yourself to open the locker.

A short boy, no more than an inch or two taller than you, emerges from the locker. He has a strange getup you've never seen before that follows a black and white color palette with a few splashes of red and yellow in the buttons of his white coat. Two stylish white belts hang off each leg of his pure white pants, probably for flair. The only non-white parts of his outfit were his black boots and thick checkered scarf. You were expecting his shaggy hair to be white or black as well, but it was actually a blackish-purplish blend that matched his violet eyes. If it wasn't for his strange outfit, you'd think he was kind of cute. "Wow, I thought you were going to leave me in there to die, you're my savior!"

The boy beams at you with stars in his eyes and what you think is a genuine smile. "Y-Yeah, no problem."

Before saying anything else, you notice his eyes scanning your outfit while his smile contorts into a slight smirk. _'Perhaps he noticed me judging his earlier,'_ You think to yourself. He has a finger to his chin, lightly humming as his eyes trail your outfit. Almost as if he's leaving you in anticipation of his response on purpose. For some reason, it makes you feel like you're naked, and you start blushing. Finally, the boy speaks again. "Oooo did a cupcake throw up on you? What's up with the ridiculous outfit?"

 _'What?!'_ You think to yourself as your blush turns into a pissed expression. It took you no time at all to think of a comeback. "Yeah, _I,_ have the strange outfit. At least I don't look like a walking chess board."

Suddenly, the boy's violet eyes fill with tears. "I can't believe you would insult me like that out of the blue. You-You really hurt my feelings..."

You start panicking, worried his crying might attract the people that brought you here. "Oh nononono, shhhshhhh! Don't cry, please don't cry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it." Before you know it, you start apologizing to him, even though he insulted you first. _'I had no idea he was so sensitive, I feel so bad.'_

His tears stop right away, and he smirks. "Oh ok, all better. You should know better than to bully others. Especially me, I'm preeeeettty important."

"Umm-huh?" You question, surprised at his sudden change of mood. _'So he was just... faking it? What an asshole! This guy is basically unreadable.'_

"Oh yeah, my name is Kokichi Oma! Ultimate Supreme Leader~" He throws his arms behind his head and laughs mischievously. "Bet you didn't see that one coming, didja?"

"What a strange talent," You laugh nervously, scratching the back of your head. A part of you feels like it's a lie, but another part of you is terrified if it's true. He seemed to be one step ahead of you in conversation somehow, almost taking control of the entire conversation with his outlandish responses. You can pick up that he definitely knows how to manipulate people, so you are pretty sure he's telling the truth about his talent.

"Soooo, go ahead, introduce yourself to me. You better not be just some boring girl off the streets. Dazzle me, peasant," He smirks at you and winks.

"Umm.. uh.." You hesitate for a moment. Being put on the spot is always tough, especially for introductions. You didn't have enough time to mentally prepare. However, you didn't want this purple haired douchebag to have any other reasons to pick on you, so you shook your head, confidently replying, "My name is (y/n) (l/n), Ultimate Confectioner! I'm the queen of sweet treats." You flash him a smile and a wink.

"OOoooo Okay, I see. That explains why your body looks well.. like that," He gestures to your entire body with a mischievous smile and glint in his eyes.

You are starting to catch on to his speech patterns, so you decide to surprise him. "Ya know, you almost had me. But I'm pretty sure you lied just there. In fact, I bet you think I look irresistible~"

"Wha-what?" He nervously replies as you smirk, putting your hands on your hips. You think you catch him blushing, but he quickly switches his expression to a nonchalant one. "Pft Whateves. Anywaysss, you know why the hell we're in a classroom? Wait! Are you some crazy fan of my super top secret evil organization who has kidnapped me for your personal pleasures?!"

You blush and roll your eyes, instantly spitting back. "What?! Ew, no way! You wish, Chess Boy. I'm just as clueless as you."

"Chess Boy?!" He closes his fists, annoyed at your remark. You giggle at his response, surprised that you were able to rile him up easily.

"Wow? You can dish it but ya can't take it, huh?" You tease, crossing your arms.

"Nah, I lied, I really don't care what your annoying voice calls me you glorified house wife. Nyehehehe," He chuckles villainously, throwing his hands behind his head.

Before you can defend yourself against his lame insult, several voices interrupt your conversation. Both you and Kokichi jump back, watching five stuffed animal bears appear out of what seems to be nowhere. You both react by yelling, "Whoa!" It was kind of weird how in sync you two were, almost as if you have similar personalities. But that's crazy, you would never align yourself with a selfish prick like Chess Boy. Right?

"Rise and Shine, Ursine!" The bears greet in unison.

"The fuck are those things?!" You yelp, fear and bewilderment filling your eyes.

"They look so cool! OMG I want one!" Kokichi excitingly brings up his fists, his eyes dazzling with intrigue.

"Hello students, we are known as the Monokubz," The yellow bear replies.

"Yeah, we're here on behalf of Daddy," the pink one chimes in.

"This whole thing has just gotten reaaally interesting! Talking stuffed animals? How cray!" You raise an eyebrow at Kokichi's statement. You think he's telling a lie, for some reason. But again, you're stumped by how unreadable the purple haired boy is. You've never met anyone with a personality like his and it kind of peeked your own interest.

"Daddy?" You question the bears, farther confused about the scenario you and Chess Boy are in.

"First off, we aren't robots, we are stuffed animals!" The blue one yells.

"Yous said your lines backward," The yellow one face palms. 

"Oh, sorry! We first off aren't animals stuffed, we robots are!"

"That's even worse," The pink one adds.

"..." The green one seems to stare vacantly at you, not speaking a word.

"Uhh?" You exchange a bewildered expression with Kokichi, who shrugs and chuckles. 

Kokichi leans over and whispers to you. "This isn't something you see everyday."

"I know right," You feel strange agreeing with him, yet you feel like you have been in a scenario like this before. The whole thing feels extremely familiar, yet dream-like in a way. _'Even Chess Boy radiates a feeling of deja vu... but why?'_ Your brain starts to hurt from thinking about it, so you shake your head. One of the robot bears yells at you, zoning you back into the conversation.

"Excuse me, Miss Ultimate Confectioner, but did you hear what we just said?" The pink bear nicely asks.

You feel embarrassed for zoning out, holding your arm behind your back with a slight blush from Kokichi's questioning eyes. You probably looked like an idiot right now. "Ah sorry, I was thinking and zoned out... what did you say again?"

"Ugh, we have to go over it again? How annoying!" The red bear stomps its foot.

"Shut up Monotaro!" The pink one slaps him before turning back to face you. "We were introducing ourselves! My name is Monophanie!"

"I'm Monosuke," The yellow one adds, adjusting his glasses.

"What a rock hard rager I have for doing this again! I'm Monokid!" The blue one sticks out his tongue. _'Wait?! Tongue?!'_

"My name's Monotaro," The red one rubs the side of his face. _'Can robots even feel pain?'_

"Oh and that quiet piece of green trash is Monodam, but he doesn't talk, like ever!" Monokid shouts.

Monodam still doesn't say anything. "..."

"We're the adorable cubs of our daddy, Monokuma! Who is actually the one behind this killing game," Monophanie sweetly announces.

"Killing game?" Both you and Kokichi ask in unison, exchanging a look of confusion mixed with fear. 

"Awh that's so cute, they're like on the same brain wave just like me and my sweet Monotaro," The pink bear clasps her hands together, her one eye taking the shape of a heart.

Okay, if you weren't blushing before, now your face was entirely red. You don't even glance in Kokichi's direction to see what his reaction is to that statement, but instead, you advert your eyes to the floor. Awkward, awkward, awkward! _'Is this pink bear already shipping us? Does she know something I don't? Agh!'_ Your mind races as you overthink the small comment. _'Yeah he's kinda cute but I just met the boy and I doubt we would ever get along in well, that way! He's too much of an asshole.'_

You assume Kokichi is unaffected by the statement, because his voice nonchalantly asks, "What do you mean by killing game?"

"Oh yeah, that. Well, father organized this killing game with you guys and fifteen other Ultimate students from around the country to participate in a kill or be killed game!" Monotaro's voice sounds excited.

You recover from your embarrassed state, making eye contact with the robot. "fifteen others? I've never heard of so many Ultimates being under one roof. That's cray." Ultimates were rare in this day and age. You had never actually met another Ultimate student prior to Kokichi, but you figured it was just a weird coincidence. Never would you have thought there were more people, let alone Ultimates in the same building. 

"Well, yous heard it from us first. No one would be interested in a murder game with just plain people, right? Sos dad decided to throw together yous Ultimates and have yous kill each other until there are two survivors left." Monosuke's tone makes all of this sound like the most casual thing ever.

"Th-that's insane!" You curl your hand into a fist. "There's no way I can believe that! Who would be twisted enough to plan something so, well, insane!"

"I think it sounds like fun," Kokichi crosses his arms with a beaming smile. "What a not boring way to spend my time."

"Y-You can't be serious.." Your eyes go wide as you witness the pure enjoyment in his violet eyes. _'How can he say this is.. fun? How can someone be so heartless?'_

"Of course I'm serious," he innocently blinks at you.

You take a step away from him as fear fills your soul. Someone as manipulative as him could definitely trick people into dying for him... murdering for him... even maybe kill someone himself if he really wanted to. You had to distance yourself from him as soon as possible. He was too dangerous. Even if you seemed to have some good banter earlier, all that friendliness leaves your mind, and stays replaced by pure fear. For some reason, him being at ease in such a twisted situation makes you feel sick. "Why is this happening to us?" You ask the bears in a scared tone, your legs shaking with fear.

"Because it's entertaining! Duh!" Monokid bursts out. 

"Don't worry too much, everyone needs to follow the rules in your Monopads," Monosuke comments.

"Monopads?" You ask, "The fuck is a Monopad?"

"It's the tablet we snuck into your bag and his jacket pocket, duuuh," Monotaro crosses his arms, seeming proud for some reason?

Quickly, you sling your backpack off your back and in front of you, unzipping it. The red bear is correct. The only thing inside is a black and white tablet. You turn it on and your name pops up on the screen. "Hope you guys enjoy the fun! Father will come around later with a motive," Monotaro brightly says.

"Yeah, so get to know each other for now, although I'm personally rooting for you, (y/n)," Monophanie points to you.

"You only are rooting for her because you probably want her to make you candy," Monosuke sighs.

"M-Maybe!" Monophanie stutters.

"..." Momodam still sits in silence.

The five of them finally shout in unison, "So long! Bear-well!" And race out of the room.

You and Kokichi are left in the classroom to register all the information you have been given. "What an exciting turn of events, huh Sugar Tits?"

"S-sugar Tits?" Your mind is unable to comprehend how he's still making jokes and goofing around after being dropped an information bomb like that. _'He must really be evil, or else he wouldn't be enjoying this so mu-.'_

Kokichi interrupts your train of thought. "Well yeah, if you're gonna call me Chess Boy, then it's only fitting I get to call you Sugar Tits. Hmm... maybe that nickname is too harsh tho, hm? How about I call you.. Short Cake instead?"

You stare at him, unable to find words at the moment. Anyone at ease in a situation like this is dangerous. And if he's faking it, why would he fake liking a killing game? What kind of sick psycho would play along with something so, well awful! It makes your stomach twist. What's going to happen to your bakery without you there? Your family? Friends? Will someone perhaps notice your disappearance and come save you. Of course, the country has got to notice seventeen missing Ultimates. Right?

Kokichi still continues to talk to you, despite you obviously freaking out about the situation you both are in. "Before you start freaking out, don't worry, I'd never kill an ugly bitch like you, so you have nothing to worry about!"

His smile comes across childlike, somewhat genuine, as he leans against the locker. Another unreadable expression, for sure, but could you trust a manipulative man like him? You thought you were beginning to understand his patterns before, but now you are utterly confused. Thinking logically, if this killing game stuff is real, then you know he is dangerous. But will one of the others be just as dangerous, or even, more dangerous in that manner? Will these robotic bears actually force you guys to kill each other for god knows what? And if so, then wouldn't that mean you can't trust anyone, anyway? You feel dizzy with your mind racing and before you know it, your vision begins to blurr. The classroom swirls into a circle before your eyes and you hear Kokichi's voice somewhere in the distance. "(y/n)? You good?" And before you know it, everything goes black once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you guys think? Questions, comments, concerns?
> 
> I will be writing the next chapter in a few days so stay tuned! : )
> 
> If enough people are interested, I'll even start making a post schedule so the chapters can be more predictable for y'all haha


	2. The Ultimate Clutz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma has introduced the first motive and everyone is on edge. Honestly, you want to sleep away the day and forget about all these terrible events, but a sporadic someone comes to your dorm room, waking you up with exciting news!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, already 24 kudos, 4 comments, 2 bookmarks? You guys are amazing! I'm so glad people like this haha. You have all motivated me enough to write this next chapter right away so I hope you like it!

It's been a day since you have awaken in this hell of a school. You remember meeting Kokichi, that purple haired psycho, and then passing out from nerves after learning the true nature of why you, Kokichi, and the others were kidnapped. It's surreal. Fake. A dream. It's got to be anything but reality! You just couldn't accept it, it was too insane. But, after regaining consciousness in the dining room and meeting the other Ultimates, you were forced to believe in this insanity. This was reality. Not a dream. Not fabricated. It was real life and you, (y/n) (l/n), were one of the players in this deadly game.

When you finally opened your eyes and discovered that you were in a new room, a dining room none the less, you were confused. Instinctively, you sat up on your knees and rubbed the back of your head. A low throb emitted from it, and you groaned. You had been laying on the floor, near the dining room table. Suddenly, Kokichi's face sprung into your field of vision, causing you to yelp in surprise. "Oh hey, you're alive!" He smiled at you.

You figured he must be hanging off the table above you-- there's no other way he could be hovering over you like that if he wasn't. "W-What happened?" You tried to ask calmly, but it came out as a stutter.

Kokichi hopped off the table and stood in front of you. You titled your head up, still on your knees, and watched him with fearful eyes. He looked much more threatening in this perspective. "Your small brain couldn't wrap around the reality of this situation and you zonked out," He crossed his arms, shooting you an annoyed glance. "Ya know, you doing that was really a huge pain in the ass. I had to carry you down like, two flights of stairs before reaching the dining hall. You were soooo heavy."

 _'Why would he go out of his way to carry me?'_ You thought to yourself, opening your mouth to reply. He, of course, cut you off before you could say anything.

"Before you start praising me and beeeging me to join my super secret evil organization, it wasn't my idea Short Cake. I was gonna leave ya to die," Kokichi brought up a hand, nonchalantly looking at his finger tips. "One less player in the game is a win for me you know." Through a side glance, his eyes stared into yours menacingly.

You shut your mouth, stunned with fear. His actions and words kept confusing you. Was he trustworthy or not? Was he lying when he was being friendly? Was he lying when he was being scary? Which was it? It rose your anxiety up like crazy just trying to wrap your head around his words. Before you knew it, you started taking a few short breaths, panicking. _'He's gonna kill me, I know it,'_ You closed your eyes and a few tears began to roll down your cheeks. _'Just get it over with, please'_ You begged in your head. This was torture.

A moment passed, and nothing happened. You heard a sigh from above. Carefully, as your tears slowed down, you opened your eyes and stared at Kokichi. He rolled his eyes. "Geez, calm down Short Cake, I was only lying. I told you before, remember, I would never kill an ugly bitch like you. So stop being a fucking crybaby and stand up, dumbass." He outstretched a hand to you.

You squeezed your eyes shut and more tears made their way through. This was all so mentally exhausting. You were terrified and he was enjoying it, or at least making a joke of it. Why would anyone be so cruel? You didn't take his hand, and instead brought your hands to your face, crying into them. The creak of the dining room door opening caused you to wipe your eyes with your sleeve, and try your best to open them. "What the hell Kokichi, you made her cry dude, that's so uncool." You've never heard this voice before-- he must be one of the other fifteen Ultimate students.

"She just can't take a joke," You watched through blurred eyes as Kokichi's figure was replaced by someone new. He must of stepped back when this other guy walked in.

"You okay?" The boy asked you, ignoring Kokichi's remark. You turned your attention to him, watching him outstretch a hand with tons of bracelets on it to you. You took it as he helped you up. 

"I-I'm fine," You sniffled, wiping your eyes one last time with your sleeve. Luckily your tears finally stopped, and you felt more relaxed.

"I hate to see such a pretty girl cry," He commented, leading you over to a chair for you to sit. This boy was about ten inches taller than Kokichi, basically a whole foot taller than you. He wore a grey, striped, baggy shirt along with tons of bracelets, rings, and earrings. Brown pants and typical grey sneakers accompanied his attire. The thing that caught your attention the most was his pale green hair and forest green eyes. His voice was very soothing to listen to and before you knew it, you felt yourself falling for him.

You blushed at his statement, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah right, the only thing pretty about me is my sweets."

"I see, well I guess I'll have to try them sometime," You and the boy shared a laugh. "Ha sorry, almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rantaro Amami, and honestly I woke up with no memory of my Ultimate talent." He nervously laughed, scratching his head.

"That's odd," you sniffled once more, your tears finally dried up. "Well, my name is (y/n) (l/n) and I am the Ultimate Confectioner. Perhaps I can bake you a sweet treat to help jog your memory? Some sweets have amazing effects on people, ya know."

You and Rantaro shared a smile. "Sounds like a date," You both laughed. He brought a whole different atmosphere than Kokichi did. You wished that you woke up next to him instead of that insane Chess Boy. Maybe you wouldn't have had a mini mental breakdown if you did. Maybe you wouldn't have been so scared and filled with fear? Then again, those are all maybes and not the true story.

The conversation between you and Rantaro carried on for a good minute or two. You were both so caught up in your banter that you didn't notice a certain purple haired boy leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, staring at you and Rantaro talking. Kokichi actually didn't contribute to the conversation at all until after Rantaro explained that he bumped into Kokichi in the hallway as he was carrying you. Kokichi had apparently been looking for some sort of nurse's office or something to lay you down at, and since Rantaro had already explored the building, he lent Kokichi a hand and brought you to the dining room-- it was the least dusty place in the whole school. From there, he decided to tell the few other people he bumped into to come to the dining room to meet each other. After telling them that, they all went out to get everyone.

You had turned your gaze to finally meet Kokichi's stare from across the room, with surprise. When your eyes locked, you could of sworn you saw him blush, but only for a moment before he returned to his signature bored look, explaining that Rantaro was lying and that he was actually trying to kill you, not save you. Despite Kokichi's attempts, you decided to believe Rantaro on this one, and teased Chess Boy for being so considerate. Before Kokichi could rebuttal, some more Ultimates filled the room. You all greeted each other and told each other your talents. Sooner than later, the dining room was filled with all seventeen students. You had to admit, you were instantly overwhelmed with everyone's insane wardrobe and crazy talents. Not to mention some of the more outlandish personalities like Miu Iruma, the horny Ultimate Inventor, or Kaito Momota, a literal Ultimate Astronaut! Despite the deadly circumstances however, you and the rest of the Ultimates were getting along. Even Kokichi seemed to be getting along in his own, boyish way, making fun of K1-B0, or Kiibo, for being a robot. Everything was going amazing. Just high schoolers talking and hanging out, nothing bad at all. Perhaps this situation wasn't going to be too bad. Right?

Well, all hopes for this strange scenario to end up well dissipated as soon as Monokuma appeared. Monokuma, those five robots' dad-- somehow-- popped up into the dinning room about an hour after everyone started to get along. At first, you were all confident interacting with him. Nothing could beat the bonds of friendship that you and the others have started to build. However, the mechanical bear introduced a motive. One with a time limit. A motive that was to kick this game off with a blast. In two days time, if a murder does not occur, everyone will be eliminated. Whoever decides to pull the trigger, however, has the opportunity to leave the school, scott-free. No strings attached. Monokuma called this: The First Blood Perk.

He explained all the rules of the game as well: No one can harm Monokuma; Morning was at 8am, night was at 10pm; No one can go into the gymnasium at night; Whenever there's a murder, a class trial will take place, and if the culprit isn't caught, the culprit can leave while the others are executed; If the culprit gets caught, the culprit is executed instead.

...

It really was an Ultimate killing game, and you, Rantaro, Kokichi and the others were really being forced to participate in something so cruel. So frightening. So devastating. There's no way one of your new friends, besides maybe Kokichi, would commit a murder though... right? At least, that's what you thought. Little did you know that in two days, the game would officially start. 

-

-

However, that was yesterday. And today is today.

The lousy morning announcement is startling, forcing you to wake up much earlier than you wanted to this morning. You just want to lay in bed and think about the awful events of the previous day, so instead of getting up after the Monokubs good morning skit, you roll over and burrow yourself under your blanket. Under the blanket is warm, safe, and helps you feel protected during these crazy times. You snuggle into the blanket more as you think about warm thoughts to counter the negative feelings you have about this whole killing game. _'No one can kill me in my room,'_ you sleepily think to yourself, letting your eyelids become heavy as you attempt to doze into sleep once more. _'Perhaps the killing game and Monokuma... will just go away if I... ignore them.... At least in my dreams I a-'_

DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!

"Ack!" You yelp, instantly sitting up in bed, your hair in a knotted mess and some light circles under your eyes. "What the fuck?!"

DING DING DING DING DING!

It takes your sleepy brain a moment to adjust to the light in your room. You squint your eyes; Blurry vision focusing gradually on your door. 

DING DING DING DING DI-

"God fucking damnit, I just woke up! Give me a moment!" You shout, throwing a pillow at the door. There goes your whole plan to sleep in all day-- great. You just want to be left alone, but now, instead, you have to actively dress in your designated uniform and interact with someone who could potentially want to murder you. "I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles," You mutter to yourself, hopping off your bed and walking over to your closet.

At first, you take your time to throw on your underwear and bra-- a really cute pink and black lace set that fits you perfectly. How does Monokuma know your measurements though? Fucking pervert! Your face turns red as you think about the ways in which those robotic bears were able to produce such accurate sizes. Honestly, you stare at the underwear for a moment, deep in thought until-

DING DING DING DING DING!

"I said give me a moment!" You yell, in a more embarrassed tone than a moody one this time around. Shaking your head, you throw on your underwear, shirt, jacket, skirt, boots, and backpack quickly. As you rush to open the door, you pass by yourself in the mirror. Before opening it, you notice in your peripheral vision that your hair is a mess with your strawberry beret haphazardly jammed into it. You panic, standing in place, scanning your room for a hair brush.

DING DING DING DING DIN-

"What?!" You practically scream as you fling open the door.

"Well good afternoon to you too, bitch!" Miu crosses her arms, glaring at you. Her eyes scan your outfit, and she stifles a laugh. "What a uh, interesting hair-do you got going on. Have a sexy night last night being some boy's sex doll?"

Honestly, you were unsure of who to exactly expect at your door, however Miu Iruma was not who you would ever expect to knock up. "S-Shut up! Obviously not," Your face is extremely flushed, wondering why she would think you would do something so naughty on the first night. "W-What do you want, Miu? It's too early for this."

"Uh, not uh, it's like 2pm, fucking dumbass," Miu puts a hand on her hip. "Look, I didn't feel like coming all the way over here to get you, but like since I had to head to the dorms to grab something before we leave, Kaede asked me to like tell you about our escape plan."

Your pupils widen as "escape plan" leaves her lips, your attitude suddenly transforms into a more hopeful one. "Wait, escape plan? For reals?"

"Uh yeah, duh-doy! Keep up Sugar Slut," She rolls her eyes at you. "But like we are leaving, now, so stop fucking standing around and come with me already!" She grabs your arm, pulling you into the dorms walkway.

Your dorm room lays on the second row, all the way on the end where the railing stops. It's the last room that separates the girl's side with the boy's side, and on the other side of the railing begins the railing for the boys, starting with Kokichi's room and onwards. Coincidentally enough, Miu's room was the one on the other side of your door. You only knew this by the little pixel art of every student's face next to each door. Even though those robotic bears were terrifying, you had to admit, the little pixel art of everyone was super cute! You kinda wished you could take your sign with you, but you decide not to tamper with anything in the school, you didn't want to cause anymore trouble than necessary and would rather stay under the radar. Anyway, Miu pulls you along the walkway and down the stairs. "Agh, Miu, what _is_ the plan though."

She sighs as she fast walks and you struggle to keep up. _'She has a strong grip, geez,'_ Your wrist was definitely going to be bruised after this.

"You'll see when we get there, cum rag," She spits back at you as you both exit the dorm building.

-

"Booyah!" Miu expresses, kicking open a door to a building behind the school that you were unaware of. 

Instantly, you are met with fifteen, staring faces. Everyone is gathered in this strange new room, standing around what appears to be a hole in the ground. "Uhh.." You awkwardly wave your hand up with a nervous smile. Something about it feels familiar though, like something close to this scenario has happened before... but why? 

"Ah yes, now we are all here," Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Anthropologist, comments.

"Took you long enough," Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Tennis Player, chimes in, arms crossed.

Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Akido Master, puts her hands on her hips, making a unique face at the boys. "Well it would be rude for us to leave without (y/n). You degenerate males never consider the feelings of women, pieces of scum."

"Pffted! Look at (y/n)'s hair, she def got hit with the uggo stick this morning," Kokichi blurts out, pointing to your hair.

"Agh!" Honestly, you had forgotten about it for a moment, but now that he's pointed it out for everyone to notice, you blush immensely and pull up your backpack to hide your hair. 

"Kokichi, that is not a nice statement," Kiibo, the Ultimate Robot, crosses his arms.

"Who said I was being nice?" Kokichi asks innocently, pointing a finger to his mouth. Again, his features are extremely unreadable. What's his game?

"Enough guys! We can all talk after we're out of this hell hole!" Kaito intervenes, clenching his fist.

"You're right!" Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, agrees, pumping a fist. She turns to Miu. "Thank you for bringing (y/n), now we can get started on escaping, together!"

"Whateves," Miu shrugs. "As long as we can get out of this shit hole, my twins and I are more than satisfied."

Ignoring Miu's gross comment, one after another, everyone begins climbing down the hole in the ground. "I call heading down first!" Kokichi childishly announces, pushing Kiibo out of the way and climbing down the hole. The rest follow suit.

"Uh, what is this plan by the way?" You sheepishly question, gradually lowering the backpack from your head as you approach the hole.

Kaede, Rantaro, Shuichi Saihara the Ultimate Detective, and Miu are the ones who have yet to climb down when you ask. Kaede's halfway in the entranceway to the hole, "There's a secret passage down here that Gonta discovered this morning! It has an exit sign and everything so we're gonna try it out." She smiles to you as she climbs down.

"Huh? Exit?" You question as Shuichi is the next to climb down.

"Yeah, I know it sounds absurd, but we believe it is our only hope of escaping. So far, there is nothing too suspicious about it that I have discovered, so we should be fine." Shuichi makes his way down.

You turn to Miu who throws up her hands, "Life's about taking risks, you rather someone beat you to death in here or take your chances and beat someone else off out there?" She winks and laughs as she follows the others downwards.

"I-I have no response to that question," You stutter, dumbfounded by the inventor's profanity. Had this not been a life or death scenario, you would probably actually laugh at her statements-- you had dirty humor too- but right now seemed to not be the time nor the place for dirty jokes. You figure she means well though. Unlike Kokichi, Miu is a little easier to read. Profanity seems to just be her coping mechanism for this insane circumstance. You decide that you definitely want to be friends with her once you guys escape though. Just thinking about the silly antics you two will get into fills you with hope that you all will actually escape this thing! 

While lost in your thoughts about the outside, you feel a hand on your shoulder. "(Y/n), I have a feeling everything's gonna be ok. This escape plan will definitely work."

You turn around to see Rantaro, smiling at you with his glistening, forest eyes. Of course, you blush. You swear you have never blushed so many times in one day before-- this whole day is a rollercoaster honestly. "If you say so, I trust you, Rantaro." You both share a smile, and he motions for you to head down first. Nodding, you begin to climb down into the ground, on your way to escape this awful place.

Step after step, you shiver as your hands interact with the cold metal of the ladder. A droplet of water falls from somewhere and you hear it splash onto the ground below. The underground feels breezy, cold, dreadful. Somehow, it feels more hopeless down here than it does upstairs. Ironic huh. Thinking that the school prison feels safer than the literal exit is insane! But, something in your gut feels wrong. Like this is too good to be true. _'Why would they mark the exit as an exit if it's not supposed to be fake? But, if the Ultimate Detective thinks it's fine, then there's nothing to be worried abou-'_

"Ahhh!" While in thought, you misstep on the ladder, and fall off it.

"Watch out!" Miu shakes a fist at you as you fall past her.

"(Y/n)!" Rantaro calls out from above.

It's not a long fall at all. You were about twelve feet from the ground before you fell, roughly a story high, so it is not too bad. If anything, it is awkward. Especially given _who_ you fall on....

"Ow!"

"What a compromising pose! Don't look Himiko!" Tenko shouts, shielding Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Magici- Mage's eyes.

"Nyeh?"

"That is rather unfortunate," Ryoma chuckles.

"I do not understand what about this pose is compromising," Kiibo adds.

"(Y/n)!" Kaede stutters in an embarrassed tone.

"Gonta look away now! Gonta see something not gentlemenly!" 

You groan in pain. Unfortunately, you fall onto the person who frightens you the most. The person who has been the cause of most of your anxiety through this whole shit show so far-- Kokichi Oma. It's just your luck that in the rush to dress this morning, you forget to wear your fishnet stockings, thus your new, lacey panties are exposed to the entire class and him. You landed in a way where your stomach is on his stomach, your whole upper half hanging off by his legs, and basically your ass right in Kokichi's face. His arms are free, and he puts them behind his head. "Nyhehehe! Well (y/n), if you wanted my attention you could have just told me, but I mean, this way works too~"

"Ahh!" You yelp, rolling off his stomach and swiftly standing up as he chuckles. You're a blushing mess as you cross your legs and push your skirt as close as you can to your body. You look to all your classmates. Shuichi, Kaito, Kiibo, and Gonta Gokuhara the Ultimate Entomologist are blushing as well, averting their attention. Korekiyo, Ryoma, and Angie Yonaga the Ultimate Artist chuckle at you. The rest: Himiko, Tenko, Kaede, Tsumugi Shirogane the Ultimate Cosplayer, Kirumi Tojo the Ultimate Maid, and Maki Harukawa the Ultimate Child Caregiver share mixed emotions of embarrassment for you. "I h-hate today, I just w-wanna go back to bed!" You stammer, defeated.

Miu finishes climbing down, and gives you a slap on the ass. "Ain't nothing to be ashamed of, show off those sweets!" This does not help you.

You are a mess. You can't even bring yourself to see what Kokichi or Rantaro's reactions are. Speaking of the two... 

You force yourself to take a glance at Kokichi, who's now standing with his arms crossed, smirking at you. He does not say anything, his face says it all. For once, you can read his features, and you wish you couldn't. They scream 'I'm gonna bother you forever about this whether you like it or not.' You can't tell whether it's in a friendly way or not, though, which sends a shiver down your spine. You back yourself up against the wall, shielding your face into the collar of your pink jacket. 

Rantaro finally finishes climbing down and nervously laughs. "You okay? That was, uh, quite the fall you had there." A slight blush surfaces on his cheeks.

You refuse to make eye contact. "I'm fine!"

"Er, a-any," Kaede stutters, trying to find words. She finally clears her throat and shakes her head. "Anyway guys, here's our ticket out of here!" She thankfully walks over to you, standing in front of you, blocking you out of everyone's site to redirect the attention. She gestures to the exit. _'Kaede is such a good friend'_ you think to yourself, releasing a small sigh of relief.

Everyone is silent for a moment. Some are scratching their heads, others are looking down or away, everyone unsure of what to do next. "Do we, do we just go in then?" Tenko asks, looking between Kaede and the exit.

"Uhh, Shuichi?" Kaede looks to him for an answer. Which makes sense, he is the Ultimate Detective after all. He smiles and shrugs so she pumps her fists confidently. "We can do this guys! I believe in us! As long as we collaborate with each other and do this together, there's nothing we can't do!"

"You're right!" Kaito flashes a huge grin.

"Let's do this!" Shuichi adds, tilting his cap down in a determined fashion.

"Yeah yeah! It is Atua's will that we attempt to use this exit!" Angie laughs.

And with everyone else agreeing, Kaede starts to lead the way to everyone's freedom from the killing game. You were all going to be saved, freed, spared.

...

'Were' stands as the keyword. This path is utterly impossible to trek down. You stay in the back of the group along with Kokichi, Himiko, Kiibo, Rantaro, Ryoma, and Maki. The rest of the class shows more eagerness than you seven in escaping, which in hindsight was not the brightest approach to the situation. Just as you seven follow the rest of the class into the pathway, you are met with screams and groans of pain. "Kaede!" Shuichi yells somewhere ahead of you guys as an audible SPLASH is heard in the distance. 

"Gonta will save you Angie!" Gonta's voice also booms from up ahead.

They all charged in ahead of you seven, running at full sprint. Each one being knocked out after the other. You guys take your time, though, thus you only hear the traps that are set off, but do not see them yet. Each of you exchange looks of worry with each other as you seven hesitantly enter the path. The pathway is dark, too dark to see anymore than ten feet in front of you. On top of that, it is narrow as well. Luckily, you are not too claustrophobic, but there are traps laid all throughout the path, and the narrowness of the path does not help in dodging these traps. Too scared to walk in the back of the group, but too scared to be in the front, you hang in the middle. Kiibo takes the lead, followed by Himiko, Ryoma, Rantaro, you, then Kokichi, and then Maki hangs in the back. 

Everyone watches their steps as they creep along the unnaturally stoned path. You try to keep your eyes set on Rantaro and how he progresses, making sure to follow his steps. _'He probably knows better about where to step than I do, he's just so confident in his walk'_ you think to yourself, determining that your assumptions must be correct. All mysterious, chill guys are like super smart at these puzzle things... right? So, you confidently follow his steps. Everyone is basically following each other's steps though, keeping close yet far apart. You'd probably guess there is only about three feet between each person, which explains why what happens next was inevitable.

"Guys, I think I found the end of the path!" Kiibo announces not too far into your walk.

This does not add up in your mind, though. How could that be possible? The ten others ahead of you have walked much farther already, well now there was only about half of them left, but if this was the end that does not make sense. It seems that almost everyone in your small group picked up on the same feeling, because just as Kiibo announces, "All I gotta do is press this button according to my calculations, and we'll be free!" 

You all began to scream, "No Kiibo do-"

THUD!

"Ahhh!" Kiibo suddenly flies backwards, into Himiko and Ryoma, knocking all three of them into the rushing water below. SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

You all listen in terror as each body plummets into the unseeable water below. "What an idiot," You hear Maki mutter from behind you and Kokichi.

You turn your attention to her, studying her expression. She seems analytical as she looks around the pathway. Way more tactical that a typical Ultimate Child Caregiver should be. How interesting... She shoots you a death glare as she notices you staring. You gulp before continuing to walk forward. In the midst of you panicking from her death glare, you stumble into Rantaro, accidentally falling into his back, pushing him slightly forward. Little do you know, the path has a sharp right turn up ahead, and your stumble causes Rantaro to fall off the path and trip into the water below. "Ah!" Is all he manages to say as he falls down into the water in the blink of an eye, surprised.

This all happens so quick, and before you know it, you are falling off the cliff as well, still from the same momentum from tripping into Rantaro. You brace for impact, expecting a drop into the rushing current at the end of the cliff. This is it. You have failed like everyone else, and to make matters worse you caused Rantaro to meet such an untimely fate. It only makes sense that you experience it as well. _'This is better than that embarrassing scene from earlier. I rather be met with rapids than think about that ever again...'_

However, you don't fall. Something snags your backpack and pulls you back onto the path. "Dumbass!" Kokichi grunts, using all his strength to pull you back from the edge. This knocks your body back, into his chest. You two do not fall back though, but you just stand there. Surprised, leaning back into his chest as his arms hold you up.

"K-Kokichi?!" You stammer.

"Ya know, you should actually be called the Ultimate Clutz because you have fallen like what, twice in the past ten minutes? Do you need like a caretaker or something to watch over you Short Cake?" He chuckles as he pushes you to stand up straight-- which you do.

You turn around for a moment and study his expressions. He has that same ever unreadable smile with his arms crossed. "I wouldn't trust that asshole at all," Maki makes serious eye contact with you before glaring at Kokichi and then vanishing down the pathway. 

"I'm not just an asshole ya know," He says to you with a defeated look on his face. You think he is being sincere, about to be genuine with who he is. Perhaps you will finally get a glimpse into this unreadable checkered boy? You are wrong though as he continues talking, "I have arms, and legs, and a head." He mischievously smiles at you, almost as if he knew that you were hoping he was going to be truthful for once. Genuine. Honest.

"You know Kokichi, I think that you are star-"

"Oh shit," Kokichi cuts you off as his eyes shift to what's behind you and he points. As you turn around to see what he's pointing at, it's too late. Huge metal balls knock both you and Kokichi off the path and into the darkness below. 

SPLASH! SPLASH! 

Taken hostage by the raging current below, you and Kokichi struggle, being swept all the way back to the beginning of the pathway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, Comments, Concerns?
> 
> ITS NOT DANGANRONPA WITHOUT SOME FAN SERVICE!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It took a moment to think of how I want things to go, but now I have a really good idea. Tell me in the comments what you think will happen haha
> 
> Also don’t worry, there will be more Kokichi in the next chapter~


	3. Sharing Your Warm, Soft Muffins~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to bake muffins for the class to share your skills with them all before everyone is executed when the timer strikes. None of your friends would never kill anyone... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me sliding in a South Park reference into that last chapter lol 
> 
> Anyway, I'm on a hot streak with motivation for this because of all the love its been getting so here's the next chapter! Enjoy this calm before the storm because next chapter will be dramatic, just letting ya know~

All you can hear is the sound of rushing, warm water. It's shortly after the Nighttime announcement and you are exhausted. Droplet after droplet bounces off your exposed body. Your back is to the shower head as the water pelts against your hair. Gradually you bring your arms into view, slowly turning them around to reveal all the new bruises and welts you received. That escape route took up most of your day. Kaede had encouraged everyone to try again... and again.. and again... andagainandagainandagainandaga- But you just couldn't do it! Each round became harder and harder, your body growing weaker and weaker as being swept away by the raging water stream down below became too common of a feeling. It was impossible, it was rigged, it was "unfair" as Kokichi put it.

"Kokichi..." You murmur to yourself, bringing your head up. Running a hand through your wet hair, you contemplate the day's events. _'He saved me... but why?'_ Images from when he snagged your backpack, pulling you back up onto the path, flood your mind. You remember falling back lightly into his chest, Kokichi catching you with his arms. It felt comfortable. Safe. Vaguely you recall his heart slowing down from a rapid beat, which contradicts his nonchalant words that he spoke to you:

_"Ya know, you should actually be called the Ultimate Clutz because you have fallen like what, twice in the past ten minutes? Do you need like a caretaker or something to watch over you Short Cake?"_

"It doesn't make sense," You reach over to where the shower products are and grab a bottle of shampoo. It's labeled "Sugar Cookie" and has a chibi design of Monophanie's face in the center of a sugar cookie. Monokuma somehow providing your favorite scents for products was the least of your concerns, however you have to admit, it makes living at this school much more bearable. At least you can smell nice while the overwhelming anxiety and depression from the killing game looms around you and your classmates. Sarcastically, you think _'Good job Monokuma, much appreciated.'_

Your mind returns back to Kokichi, however, as you massage the hair product into your scalp. He seems to not want to be friends with anyone nor show his true intentions, but why? Why is he so difficult? Why do you have to search his captivating, violet eyes for an answer every time he speaks? It's honestly starting to get on your nerves. It's almost like Chess Boy is, well, playing a game of chess and strategically trying to ensure you never capture his king. Despite your attempts to corner him with your rooks, knights, and bishops, he's always a dozen moves ahead. "Fine, be like that, I don't want your king anyway," You grumpily state, leaning your head back into the water to wash out the product.

"I bet you have a small and skinny king too," You grumble to yourself, rolling your eyes. What are you even thinking about though? Why was that purple haired douche bag so hooked into your brain? It just felt natural to be thinking about him, like you have been thinking about him for years, but you just met the kid yesterday. He's not even _that_ cute though. Maybe if he were to discard some of those white clothes and loose the extra belts he could be attractive... Speaking of attractive. "Oh yeah, Rantaro~" You blush as his name leaves your lips, reaching over for the conditioner.

"He's so tall and has great hair and he doesn't play games," You lather the conditioner into your hair now, feeling the water droplets repel off your back. "I bet he has a fitting king for his size," You let out a tiny shriek of excitement as you bring your hands over your face. _'Why am I thinking so dirty today? Agh!'_ Not thinking before doing this action, you accidentally get conditioner in your eyes. "Fuck!" You yell, quickly shoving your face into the running water, trying to rub out the product. "Ugh I hate myself!" You whine into the water with a half giggle. 

It feels nice to be thinking about anything other than the killing game or your bruises. You feel like a normal girl for a change with typical feelings. Relaxation overcomes your body as you let these positive thoughts fill your head, despite the stinging of your eyes of course. 

-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The oven in the kitchen dings as the smell of homemade muffins wafts through the air. You smile brightly as you slip on oven mitts and gradually open the door. Steam escapes from the oven and clears out of the way to reveal two dozen delicious muffins of varying flavors. Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Banana, and plain muffins all greet your eyes, having rose beautifully in the past twenty or so minutes. Your eyes dazzle at the sight of your own creations, your hands swiftly removing the tray and setting it on the counter nearby. Each muffin has a tiny stream of steam emitting from their tops, glistening beautifully in a tiny ray of sunlight that escapes from the window in the kitchen. You release a sigh of relief as you remove the oven mitts and place your hands firmly on your hips. "Viola! I gotta say, these muffins are some of my best yet."

As if on cue, the monitor nearby turns on and the morning Monokuma announcement plays. You turn your head into the direction of the monitor and raise a brow. It's always something weird and you were honestly intrigued. What will be the last ever morning announcement you will hear before you're all executed in fourteen hours? You had to know.

Monokid starts off the announcement, drunk off of some honey or something weird like that. "HEY HEY HEY! YOU STUDENTS READY TO ROCK 'N' ROLL 'N' KIIILLL?!"

Monosuke face palms. "Ignore Monokid, he is not in the right frame of mind," the robot crosses his arms. "Yous all have fourteen hours to finally kick off this heres killing game or yous all go KA-BLOOY! So yous better get planning."

"Yeah, it would be a shame if you were to all die in such a cruel way," Monophanie adds, crosses her legs and holding her paws to her heart? _'Do robots have hearts?'_

Monotaro chimes in, "Yeah yeah yeah, so you all better start killing or father will get really mad! And you don't want to see him when he's mad!"

"I'LL FIGHT PAPKUMA WITH MY ROCK HARD RAGER IF HE CAN'T HANDLE ME!" Monokid shakes his fist.

"... On that note, let's conclude this announcement, shall we?" Monosuke hops off the couch.

Monodam stares silently. "..."

They all announce together, ""So long! Bear-well!" and the monitor switches off.

You tilt your head in curiosity as the black screen reveals your distorted reflection. "Really, that's it? How anti-climatic for our last day alive..." You sigh.

After the shower you took last night, you decided that you'd make the most of your final day alive. Of course none of your friends would murder another-- that's just a crazy thought-- so you figured you might as well make the most of your final day! In order to accomplish so, you knew you would have to bake something. You really wanted everyone to try your confectioner skills before you all met your demise, and that meant waking up a couple hours earlier than the morning announcement to bake everyone a breakfast treat! Yeah, it was a pain to roll out of bed so early, especially with all the bruises from yesterday, but you pushed past it. Who cares if your body aches, you'll be dead by the end of the day anyway. 

Turning around to finish prepping your creations for everyone's soon arrival, you catch a certain somebody hovering nearby the muffins. "Wooooow these look totally not like garbage," A voice sarcastically announces as he leans on the counter, admiring your muffins.

"Kokichi, what are you doing up so early?" You remove one of the hands from your hip and shift your weight, leaning into the opposite one. You ignore his comment on your muffins, it was too early for a nonsensical bicker.

"Oh, Supreme Leaders don't sleep. Duh," He faces you now, pointing to his eyes and making a silly-scary face.

You giggle. "You're a dork. Get out of here and let me finish prepping. I'll serve these soon," 

"But I want a muffin now, and when your supreme," he clears his throat, "Ultimate supreme leader wants something, you better deliver. Or else you might find yourself in a work camp in Siberia." He smirks at you, winking.

You roll your eyes. This time he is clearly lying and you are finally able to pick up on it. Did he lie obviously on purpose though? Is he trying to be playful? Well two can play that game. "Oh yeah, Siberia? And how do you plan to send me there from in here?"

Kokichi drops his smirk and blinks twice at you. He seems surprised that you indulged in his lie. Perhaps he was expecting you to respond with 'You're not my leader though!' or 'I'm sorry do what you want!' or something else along those lines. Quickly, he switches his expression to one of intrigue as he stands up straight, arms resting behind his head. "What got into you this morning Short Cake? You're uncharacteristically bold today."

"I mean, we're all gonna die tonight anyway so why not make the most of it," You bluntly respond, approaching the muffin tray as he steps aside.

"You really believe that crap?" He asks, pointing a finger to his chin.

With the muffins cooler now, you begin to remove them, one-by-one, from the tray and set them nicely on a plate you have prepared on the counter. You keep your focus on the muffins. "Uh, which part? 'Cause I dunno if you didn't notice but we're trapped here and there's not really anything normal about this situation either so it's not all too hard to believe."

"Oh I'm not talking about us being trapped or the impending execution..." Kokichi's words slice through the air with dread. You have an idea of where he's going with it, but you do not want to acknowledge it. A drop of cold sweat travels down your forehead and you wipe it with the back of your hand.

"T-Then what?" Attention still on the muffins, you place the final few onto the plate. 

An abundance of malice emits from his next sentence. "I am talking about the fact that there _will_ be a murder today before the clock runs out."

You freeze up in fear, staring at the beautiful muffins you just plated. They don't bring you the joy that they did just moments ago. They seem not as vibrant and delicious, but bland and stale. Baking is the one thing you're really good at, they don't call you Ultimate for nothing. You bake when you're happy, you bake when you're sad, "You're just trying to escape that reality by focusing on that little hobby of yours, right?" Kokichi's voice mimics that of a boy asking an innocent question.

You reach your hands out to the counter to push your body around to face him. He's standing right in front of you. Even though he's only a bit taller than you, you feel small in his presence. Subconsciously you take a step back, surprised by his sudden closeness. Hands lean against the counter behind you. Kokichi has his arms folded with a serious expression on his face. Yet again, he's unreadable. "W-What are you t-trying to get at, K-Kokichi?" You finally stammer out, face flushed red with fear and uneasiness by how close he is.

"You still don't get it, huh? All I'm saying is in a game like this," He takes one more step closer to you, mouth right next to your ear as he drops his voice to a whisper... "Don't let your guard down."

You stare forward, unable to find a response. _'Is he threatening me?'_ Is your first thought as you stand there, stunned. Kokichi only moves his head back a few inches, meeting your eyes with a very serious gaze. Just as you finally open your mouth to speak, he takes a step back, throwing his hands behind his head and replacing his seriousness with a playful grin. "Nyhehehe! You sure are gullible, (y/n)! I really hope you're not the victim cause I would looove to see how you react once this game starts getting fun!"

Unable to stop yourself from being fed up with his games, your face scrunches in anger. "You're such an asshole! N-None of our friends would ever kill someone... Fuck you!" You cross your arms, glaring at him.

"I mean if you _really_ want to, I _could_ arrange that~" He chuckles.

You blush extremely at his comment. "Y-You know that's no-"

The door to the kitchen flings open, cutting you off. "Oh, I didn't realize there would be anyone in the kitchen this early." Kirumi curtseys. Her eyes scan the scene before her. You leaning against the counter, a raging, blushing mess, with a mountain of muffins behind you while Kokichi mischievously laughs. "Kokichi, are you bothering (y/n)?" She stares daggers at the short leader.

Kokichi fakes a sad expression, giving Kirumi puppy dog eyes. "You always think I'm up to no good, Kirumi. I was just helping (y/n) bake muffins for everyone, and you try to assume I was bothering her?" He sniffles, tears welling in his eyes. 

She makes serious eye contact with you, and you stand up straight for some reason. She's just so intimidating sometimes. Kirumi takes this gesture as you agreeing with Kokichi's statement though. "Ah, I see, I was mistaken," Kirumi curtseys once more. "My apologies."

"It's aalllll good girl, I was just leaving to go sit down anyway," Kokichi smiles brightly. He heads for the door, but before he exits, his eyes meet yours. "Just remember that fun thing we were talking about (y/n), kay?" He winks, and leaves.

"That's one strange boy," Kirumi comments, folding her hands in front of her.

"Yeah, strange," You mutter, registering everything that just occurred. _'Did he just admit right now that he was actually telling the truth? Does that mean he wants me to be careful? Why does Kokichi want me to be careful though?'_ Your thoughts run like crazy trying to unravel the mystery that is Kokichi Oma. You had to admit, he did keep things interesting in this bleak killing game, but the mind tricks make you dizzy. _'Just tell me what you're thinking!'_ You yell in your mind, frustrated at his tricks. 

Kirumi's voice brings you back to reality. "Would you like some assistance in serving these muffins to the class, (y/n)? I believe almost everyone is in the dinning hall now?"

"Oh yeah, of course, thanks Kirumi," You nervously laugh as she walks passed you, taking the plate of muffins.

"Anything to help," She smiles as you both exit the kitchen with your fresh muffins.

"I knew my sensors picked up on something sweet in the air around us," Kiibo points his finger in the air as he sits at the table with a few others.

Sitting at the dining table along with him is Kaito, Miu, Tenko, Himiko, Tsumugi, Kaede, Angie, Shuichi, and of course, Kokichi. Kaito, Shuichi, and Kaede sit around the half circle of the table farthest from the kitchen with Shuichi at the point and Kaede and Kaito on either side. Tsumugi, Tenko, Himiko, and Angie sit at the other half with Himiko in the middle and either girl on the other side with Tsumugi as the outlier. Kiibo and Miu are placed in the center, sitting across from each other. Finally, Kokichi kneels on his seat next to Kiibo, immediately taunting the poor robot. "Awwwh that's so sweet Kee-boy, but we all know robots don't have a sense of smell."

"I may not have the ability to physically smell the air, however my sensors are state of the art technology tha-"

Kokichi exaggerates a fake yawn, interrupting Kiibo. "H-Hey! K-Kokichi!"

"Enough, I will not have you bully Kiibo during breakfast." Kirumi glares at Chess Boy, who just smiles and leans back in his chair. 

"B-Bully?" Kiibo questions, defeated. He must not have realized Kokichi's intentions. You accidentally let a giggle escape. Kirumi then shoots you a glare, and you immediately stop.

"Whatever you say, Kirumi. I will _never_ bully Kiibo again," He winks and everyone paying attention rolls their eyes.

"Hey, (y/n), you should come sit next to me Sugar Slut!" Miu wastes no effort in being quiet with the nickname she chose for you, waving for you to come over. "I want you to see my reaction after I take a bite into one of your warm, soft, muffins~"

Kaede, Shuichi, and Kaito are caught up in conversation, however once those words leave Miu's lips, Kaede chokes on her own spit. "S-Slut?!" Her face goes red.

Kaito follows, red. "W-Warm and soft?"

"That is a, uh, little harsh Miu," Shuichi chimes in, pulling down on his cap, red from the profanity as well.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, geez, it's just a nickname and a snack! Just like how _my_ nickname at _my_ school was Suck Machine, but I obtained that one through some... _experience_ , unlike Sugar Slut over there!" Miu laughs insanely as the three exchange worried, embarrassed glances.

"Go ahead, sit, I will serve the food," Kirumi smiles at you through gritted teeth, trying very hard to not outburst at the childishness of the others. You can tell. Unlike Kokichi, Kirumi is way more readable. She begins placing muffins in front of everyone, one-by-one, giving them flavors she knows they like. She is the Ultimate Maid after all, so of course she would know who would like what-- it comes with the title.

"Uh.. okay?" You shrug, a little embarrassed that Miu openly called you a slut and that you're not even presenting your own sweets. Oh well, as long as everyone knows that you made them, then you don't care. You just want everyone to have a great last day. So, you nonchalantly walk over to Miu, sitting next to her, and across from Kokichi.

When you're about to sit, however, Miu slaps your ass like before, bellowing in laughter. "You gonna show us these sweets again today, Sugar Slut, or just the ones on the menu?" 

Your voice hitches in your throat as a tiny, cute yelp escapes your lips. You put a hand over your mouth, pinks and reds taking over your features, as you plop down into the chair. "M-Miu!" Tenko stutters, her face red as well. "N-No matter how, er, n-nice (y/n)'s b-butt is, you can't be doing that! You'll dirty Himiko's eyes and put ideas in the degenerate males' brains!"

"Stop it. My eyes are fine," Himiko crosses her arms.

"See, now you've gone and made Himiko mad!" Tenko pouts as she takes the muffin that's placed in front of her and fiddles with the foil.

"Yeah sure, _I_ , did that," Miu rolls her eyes.

You refuse to make eye contact with Kokichi during this exchange. His commentary on it was the last thing you wanted. That does not stop you from hearing his little 'Nyhehehe' laughs from across the way. Luckily, that is all he contributes to the dirty conversation.

Kirumi finishes serving and does not sit, but stands patiently by the kitchen door. Honestly, you do not care enough to ask her to join, if that's what she wants to do then that's fine-- you won't judge. Kaede is the next to break the awkward silence. "So, (y/n), you made these for us?" She smiles greatly at you while admiring the craftsmanship of the banana muffin in front of her.

"Yeah, these look too pure to be produced from a whore like you," Miu adds, picking up the chocolate chip muffin in front of her.

"Wow, that's interesting coming from a cum rag like you," You giggle, trying to play Miu's perverted game.

"Eeeeee! C-Cum rag?!" Her expression one-eighties, and she seems embarrassed.

Tsumugi chimes in now, "Wow Miu, I would have never taken you for a whimp."

"S-Shut up!" Miu retorts.

"I'm sorry Miu, I was only joking!" You wave your hands in front of yourself, trying to calm her down.

She crosses her arms, flipping you off, "I didn't expect anything less from a mega bitch like you... but it's okay."

You watch her change right back into her usual demeanor, and blink a couple times while she takes a bite out of the muffin. _'Okay so she can dish it but she can't take it... interesting.'_ You never would of thought Miu of having a response like that. You shrug it off though, everyone has their quirks, and turn to Kaede. Clearing your throat, you return to your earlier conversation. "Anyway, yeah I made these! I figured I might as well share my talent with everyone be-"

"These are so freaking good what!" Kaito interrupts you, stars in his eyes.

"You definitely have earned the title of Ultimate for this one," Shuichi adds, smiling at you.

 _'I've never seen Shuichi smile like this before, it's kinda cute...'_ You become flustered, shooting him back an anxious smile. "T-Thanks guys!" Everyone around the table shares their compliments with you as their faces light up with delight! Well, everyone except Kiibo who nervously has to push away the muffin provided due to his inability to taste food. Either way, you want to say 'You should all come by my bakery after this' but you don't. After today, you will all be executed, unless...

Fidgeting with the muffin in front of you, you look at Kokichi, wondering if he could be planning a murder. He sits in the chair now, not on his knees, and leans back, unwrapping the chocolate chip muffin in his hands. Catching you staring, he smirks. You realize he might think you're watching him for a different reason, and then you start to think about what _he_ might be thinking. _'Oh shit, I just realized!...'_ The wrapper around the muffin happens to be pink with black polka-dots and a tiny black bow on each foil. It just so happens that these patterns and decor happen to mimic those of something a little more private. Everyone else has begun chatting with each other, talking over one another. Kokichi takes this opportunity to further embarrass you for the indecent show you unwilling gave him the prior day.

"What sensual colors, kinda reminds me of something, don't'cha think?" He takes a bite of the muffin, allowing an obvious, forced, tiny moan to escape.

You dryly swallow before shaking your head and averting your eyes. Grabbing your own muffin, you take a bite to hide your frustration and embarrassment. Again, you let him toy with you. You don't know why but that purple haired madman actually made you bothered, in a romantic way, somehow. He's gotta be teasing you just to rile you up and have you make a scene in front of everyone. There's no way a troublemaker like him could _actually_ be into someone, trying to seduce them like that. And even if he was, why would you wanna be into him?! That's an insane thought! He's so good at pushing everyone's buttons, it's crazy! You needed a slice of sanity in this world, something that makes sense, someone who's easy to read, someone who's not a dick, someone wh- "This seat taken?" A familiar, raspy voice questions you from beside.

"Agh!" You yelp in surprise, meeting Rantaro's chill, green eyes. He puts his hands up, nervously laughing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya," He scratches the back of his head.

"No no no, all good, I was just zoning out is all," You chuckle anxiously, side glancing at Kokichi who has stopped smirking and watches in nonchalance. _'Unreadable...'_

"Sooo... may I?" He gestures to the chair as you face palm.

"Oh yeah, of course, sorry," You smile at Rantaro as he sits. When he scoots in his chair, he does it diagonally so that now your thighs are toughing lightly. You feel your heart jump into your throat as you attempt to find a 'chill' pose to sit in. You shift your hands around.

"I heard you made us all muffins today, Ultimate Confectioner," He leans his head on one hand, facing you.

"Uh yeah, that's right," You smile greatly from nerves as butterflies fill your stomach. You finally decide to lean your head on both of your hands. "There's plain, chocolate chip, banana, and blueberry. I thought it'd be fun to have a bunch of flavors to choose from."

"Wow, you really went above and beyond, huh? I bet these took you a while," You find yourself becoming lost in the conversation. Everyone else blocks out from your mind. It's almost as if you and Rantaro are the only ones talking. It's relaxing, chill, and you can't stop your heart from racing. Is this what it's like to have a huge crush? There was never anyone you could remember in your past that you have liked before, at least not like this. Perhaps the intensity of the killing game situation is effecting everyone, causing emotions to be more heightened than in the outside world. It makes sense, that's what normally happens in reality tv shows like Love City or Big Sister. Either way, you have a hard time bottling up your flustered emotions.

You wave a hand and giggle. "It didn't take that long, honestly, I guess time just flies when you do what you love, ya know."

"Makes sense. I wish I knew what my Ultimate was so I could be passionate about a skill like you are. I guess I'm just unlucky, huh," He chuckles.

"Well like I said before, perhaps one of my sweets can help with that."

As if on cue, Kirumi walks over with a muffin and places it in front of Rantaro. "This is the last one left, sorry about that," She curtseys before returning to her post.

"Maybe I'm not too unlucky though, this one looks delicious," He sits up straight as he takes the muffin, locking eyes with you and smiling.

"T-Thanks," You sit in anticipation, waiting for him to take a bite. 

He shrugs before eating the muffin; his eyes instantly have stars in them. "That's incredible, (y/n)! You really have a knack for this. I almost want to ask you to become my personal confectioner because I don't think I can eat another sweet again that will taste as amazing as this." He takes another bite as he chuckles. "Sadly, it sparked no memories though."

"Perhaps you're the Ultimate Forgetter," You giggle, causing him to laugh. 

"You're really something, huh," He sets down the muffin, and leans closer to you.

Your heart almost stops. _'Uh w-what is he doing? And in front of everyone too?!'_ But nothing happens like how you were thinking. He whispers, "Hey, would you want to meet me in the library tonight, around 9:00pm? I need to show you something and..." his eyes gradually meet yours. "You're the only person I can trust."

Blushing at his genuine smile, you don't respond, but you do slightly nod. He leans away, beaming with happiness. "Ok great, then it's a date."

Before either of you says anything else, the whole dining room is disrupted by Kiibo. "W-What are you doing?!" Kiibo jumps out of his seat in a panic.

Kokichi, pumping both of his fists, stands up. "I wanted to see if robots have dicks, duh. It's really interesting!"

"That's robophobic _and_ harassment! I have recorded this conversation and will be in contact with the proper authorities!"

"But... do they have dicks?" Miu asks, pointing a finger to her chin now. "It's a valid, hard, stable question." She's practically drooling. _'Does Miu have a... robot kink?'_

"How dare you, degenerate, ask such a dirty question at breakfast!" Tenko shouts, jumping to her feet.

"The great Atua says that robots do, in fact, have dicks," Angie claps her hands together. "All hail the great Atua!"

"Looks like I was right, nyhehehe!" Kokichi laughs, crossing his arms. 

You and Rantaro exchange a puzzled look before both bursting into laughter. He was definitely someone you could trust.

...

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it! Honestly I loved those comments from last chapter, it makes me so glad that people look forward to my writing! Every time I get the comment notification, I can't help but smile, you guys really make my day : )
> 
> Anyway, Questions, Comments, Concerns?
> 
> What dramatic event do you think will happen? I hope I'm keep y'all on your toes haha I know I have a few twists and turns coming up soon.
> 
> (Also, I'll prob update latest by Wednesday, but I'm hoping to get a new chapter up by Monday so stay tuned for more~ )


	4. Unexpected Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro trusts you and you trusts him, but can you trust your classmates?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a tinge short but I really wanted to get the next one out haha

Sprawled out on your bed in your dorm room, you stare lazily at the blank monitor that looms above you. A clock rests on the wall behind it, silently ticking away the minutes, the seconds until your inevitable demise. It reads "8:40pm". You let out a long, exasperated sigh as you sit up. "I can't take it anymore!" You shout, bringing a pillow to your face and screaming into it. "Whatcouldhewantagggh!" You yell, muffled, into the pillow. With another sigh, you toss the pillow aside and stretch your arms. "Why so specific? Why nine? Why not eight or seven or six or, fuck, even five?!" You groan to no one and fling your legs to the edge of the bed. Rolling your eyes you lean your elbows into your knees and plop your head into your hands. Pressing your hands into your face, you let out another frustrated groan, even louder. Today did not go as you wanted so far.

After breakfast earlier, you were ready to take on your last day ever! You and Rantaro hit it off, so of course as you both got up from the dining table, you asked him if he wanted to hangout before your scheduled meeting. To your surprise, Rantaro politely declined, explaining that he had a few important things he wanted to do. You tried to ask him about these 'things' he referred to, but he responded with a serious expression, promising that what he needed to do had to be kept a secret or else everything would be ruined for him. You found it odd that he was being so cold, so secretive, but you understood that he didn't want to discuss it yet so you told him that you guessed you'd see him later. His seriousness shifted to his typical, chill mood as he winked and smiled at you, giving you a brief wave as he exited the dining hall.

By the time your conversation had ended, most of the Ultimates had left to go their separate ways, to enjoy their final moments however they saw fit, you assumed. In the other corner of the dining hall, opposite of you, you saw the people who stayed talking. Kaito stood in the center of this group that included Maki, Angie, Gonta, and a few others. Wondering what they could be talking about, you approached them with a small wave and smile. They all stopped what they were doing and shot you a nervous look. "Hey guys what's up?" You had asked, half of them glaring at you and the other half adverting their attention.

Gonta was the only one to acknowledge you. "Oh, Kaito say that he wants us t-"

"To shut up!" Kaito nervously laughed as he put a hand over the giant's mouth. 

Raising an eyebrow and scanning their faces, you decided that you were definitely not wanted by that group, so you awkwardly chuckled "Yeah, cool..." and slowly backed away. Awkward. They all seem to watch you for a moment as you slinked back to the other side of the dining hall and exited out the back door.

The sun shone brightly in your face as you left the building and found yourself outside. Trying your best to readjust your vision to the sudden brightness, you stumbled as you walked, and then suddenly bumped into something-- well someone. "Agh!" You yelped as the heels of your feet hit his shoes, causing you to fly backwards.

"Whoa, watch out," A soft voice responded, catching you before you hit the ground.

Finding yourself in the comforting arms of a boy, once again, you blushed. _'Kokichi's right, I am the Ultimate Clutz, like shit,'_ You thought to yourself as the boy helped you to your feet. Finally, you turned around, and found yourself face to face with Shuichi. "T-Thanks Shuichi," You smiled, scratching the back of your head. "I've been a real clutz lately, huh."

"No problem," He responded quietly, his face in half a blush as his hat covered the other half. "Given our circumstances, I think i-it's ok."

The two of you began walking down the pathway towards the dorms. "So, how are you spending the day?" You asked the detective bluntly, clasping your hands sweetly behind your back as you walked.

"Oh I, er, uh," Shuichi broke out into an uncharacteristic nervous sweat. 

You gave him a puzzled look, "What? You hiding something?" 

"Oh no! I mean I, er, I g-gotta go!" And with that Shuichi sprinted away from you. It was not until he was running away that you noticed he had a bag on his back. 

_'Did he always have a bag?'_ You wondered as you turned towards the dorms. Everyone seemed to be on edge today, understandably so, but you began to let Kokichi's words sink into your mind.

_..._

_"Don't let your guard down."_

...

Just the thought of the seriousness in Kokichi's tone when he told you those words sent shivers down your spine. You began walking at a faster pace, shoving your hands into your pockets, nudging your neck into the collar of your jacket. _'What if they're all planning... murders?'_ You began to wonder, taking note of the unfriendliness of the group in the cafeteria. Their cold hard stares towards you; Kaito not allowing you to join; Gonta not allowed to speak. _'And what was with Shuichi just now?'_ His unusual secretiveness. That bag that stuck out like a sore thumb on his back. _'What if they are all planning to kill, to save their own lives?'_ Worry overcame your face and before you knew it, you were at your dorm door.

Quickly, you began to search your bag for your key. You did not want to be in the open anymore, you just wanted to hideaway until you could finally meet with Rantaro. _'Oh yeah, Rantaro was acting strange too...'_ You thought about how he said he had things to do. _'But there's no way he's planning a murder, he's too chill. Plus, he's meeting with me later so I can just ask him about what he was up to then,'_ You slightly smiled to yourself, and then you realized that you were digging in your bag for a while.

"Looking for something?" An all too familiar voice teased.

"Huh?" You perked your head up from inside your bag, making eye contact with Kokichi across the way. "What are you talking about?"

He leaned over the railing to the boys side, reaching a hand into his pocket. "I'm talking about," Swiftly his hand pulled a key out of his pocket. "This."

"K-Kokichi!" You stammered as you zipped up your bag and ran to the girls side railing. "Give that back!" You demanded, arms outstretched. Of course, you knew that your arms couldn't reach him, but you were desperate for your key.

"Nyhehehe! I told you to not let your guard down~" He chuckled, playing with the key to your room. "Why are you worried about it anyway Short Cake? You already said you _know_ a murder won't happen so why lock your door?" 

You took a step back from the railing, trying to read his features. Your face dropped. "You know something."

Kokichi's expression turned to a serious one, his violet eyes locked onto yours. "You're too naive, (y/n)," He said blankly, "Here."

In one, swift motion, Kokichi tossed you the key, and you caught it. Eyes wandering from the key back to his serious face, you blink in confusion. "What ar-"

"Don't read too much into it, kay?" His hands found their way behind his head as a grin overcame his features. "Nyehehehe! GeeeEEeeez, you're _too_ fun to mess with. Might as well _stay inside your room_ AAAaaall night so I don't prank ya anymore. Unless, you want me in there _with_ you Short Cake." He winked as he turned his back to you, heading to his own door. Hesitantly you had put a hand on your door knob, gently sticking the key inside, still watching the purple maniac. With a hand on his door knob, he craned his neck so he faced you one last time. "Where does your trust lie, (y/n)?" He questioned. Before giving you time to answer, Kokichi disappeared into his room with a wink, leaving you in the dorm lobby, alone and confused.

All you wanted today was to spend your final hours with your new friends and just enjoy the last bit of life you had. Instead, you spent the whole day, alone, in your room. Watching everyone around you slither around like snakes was enough to have you confined in your room to avoid being a potential target. As hour after hour flew by, you began to realize that Kokichi is right-- a murder will happen. You don't know these people, at all. Of course they are friendly to you for the most part, but it's only been two days, how much can you learn about a person in two days? 

You did not leave your room at all in fear that you'll be killed. Not to mention, you keep coming to the conclusion that Kokichi sprinkled some truth into his last few lies. When he threatened to 'prank' you, it seemed as if he was hinting to something. As if Kokichi knows that someone is plotting against you, thus you should stay in your room all day. It only took ten hours of laying in your room, alone with your thoughts, to finally start to understand that Chess Boy, but now you get it. Although he keeps calling it a fun game, you're not entirely sure he wants someone to die either. At least, you don't think he does... but then again he _is_ the Ultimate Supreme Leader and for all you know he could be trying to manipulate you with his words for who knows what reason. He did ask you where your trust lies, which is a very odd question coming from a liar like him. Where does your trust lie? You don't even really know the answer to that. Either way, you acknowledged his subtle warning and decided not to venture out of your room, well except to meet Rantaro.

Standing up with a sigh, you grab your backpack and stare at yourself in the mirror. This time, you have your hair brushed and your uniform seems to look nice and fresh despite the fact you laid around all day. Your strawberry beret glistens as a tiny ray of room light bounces off it. Your cheeks look rosy as you blush to yourself, remembering Rantaro's words. " _Ok great, then it's a date."_

 _'Wait what if this_ _was a date though?!'_ You bring your hands over your mouth as you yelp, face blushing extremely. "No, it wouldn't be! Would it?" Subtly you check yourself out in the mirror, eyeing your own curves and favorite features. "I mean, I _am_ a snack," A giggle escapes your lips as you stop posing in the mirror. Lightly, you slap yourself in the face. "No, stop that! I'm in the middle of a killing game. This is not the time to be flirting, he's probably meeting me about something serious, right?" As you question yourself in the mirror, you spot the clock in the background, reading '8:50pm'. "Oh crap, I should get going," Quickly you grab your things and exit your room.

Lightly, you close the door to your room, not wanting to alert anyone that you're leaving. Before embarking down the stairs, though, your eyes wander to Kokichi's room right on the other side of the railings. _'What if I'm making a mistake leaving my room?'_ You shake your head. _'No, he probably was messing with me, plus I got to know what Rantaro wants to show me. It sounded really important.'_ On that note, you turn your head around and begin to leave the dorms. Tip-toeing down the steps and softly gliding through the front doors, you are able to make it to the outside area without anyone noticing. Actually, you start to notice that there's no one around, at all.

"Where is everyone?" You murmur to yourself as you loosen up from your stealthy walk to a more normal one. There's no signs of anyone, not even loud mouth Miu or big boy Gonta. "That's so weird..." You would expect at least a few people to be out and about the hour before your executions... or a murder. "Could they all be plotting something?" You ask aloud as you enter the school building. While turning down the corridor that leads to the basement, you happen to hear footsteps and just catch a glimpse of a few heads disappearing down the steps. You almost jump back, but you decide to continue along your route, walking more carefully like before. Sneakily, you stalk them down the stairs and watch as the same group of people that rejected you in the dinging room earlier enter the games room. Kaito seems to have been leading them. "Ok, that's odd," You put a finger to your chin.

Shifting your vision between the door to the games room and the door to the library, you finally peek up at the clock in the hallway. "8:55pm," You read. As curious as you are about the group of people entering the games room, you decide to go to Rantaro's meeting and be there on time. You can always see what the others are up to later... if there is a later that is....

"No, I have hope," You shake your head, pumping yourself up, and finally you enter the library.

The place is extremely dusty. Books upon books upon books tower all around you. You look around in pure amazement, never witnessing such a full library before. There are a few desks and chairs to your left, and a huge black and blue light up globe to your right. From all the dust, you end up accidentally letting out a really cute sneeze. You sniffle, wiping your nose with your sleeve, as a chill voice comments, "Bless you."

"Oh!" You gasp in surprise, seeing Rantaro come out from the back of the library. "T-Thanks," You smile, blushing already.

"No, thank you for meeting with me," He smiles back, approaching you. You take a couple more steps into the library as you shyly put your hands in your pockets. "Honestly," Rantaro continues, standing only a few inches in front of you now. "You're the only person I can trust here~" His words give off a sort of seductive tone as he leans his face towards yours, stopping it right in front of you, eyes locked on each other.

"Y-Yeah?" You gulp, butterflies filling your stomach. _'Maybe this was a date! Agh! Why is he so close to me right now?!'_ Your mind goes crazy as your heart rate speeds up.

He chuckles as he takes your hands in his. "Yeah," He smiles, "Come over here," He drops one of your hands and walks you over to the back of the library. It's a nice little area along the back wall with a few bookcases lined up along it.

"This is a nice little cozy spot," You comment, scanning the area. Your eyes immediately find a manga section along the bookshelf and you try your best to keep from fangirling. Making a mental note of it for a potential later, you redirect your attention to Rantaro.

"Haha yeah it really is, it's like a cozy corner away from the chaos, ya know," Without letting go of your hand, he looks at you seriously. "Look I actually asked you here because I really like you and," he drops your hand now, adverting his gaze, "and I was hoping maybe we could have some.. you know.. fun before we are executed?" His face burns bright red as his gaze meet yours, a slight smirk on his face.

Yeah, no, this is it, you must have died and gone to heaven because the guy you like wants to have fun with _you_ before you are all murdered. You knew listening to Kokichi would have been a bad idea. Not going out at all, you would not have learned of Rantaro's true feelings nor would you have ever had this opportunity. You are stunned. "Oh?" You laugh nervously, a blushing mess.

"I mean, only if it's ok with you, obviously," Rantaro reaches for your hand again, cupping your face with his other one. 

You are a babbling mess as he leans in, lips hovering above yours. "Uh, er, uh, e, I mean.. " You become captivated by his sparkling, forest eyes. "Y-yes, I-I'm ok with it."

He smiles softly, "Good," and then leans in and kisses you, both of you shutting your eyes. 

It's soft, relaxing, just like his personality. He drops your hand as you return the kiss, causing him to passionately, gently push you into the bookshelf behind you. _'There is no way this is happening!'_ Your brain screams, and almost to try and understand the realism of the situation, you open your eyes, just to prove it's really happening. From your perspective, you watch as Rantaro continues to kiss you, one hand behind his back and the other on your face. Your head is tilted at just the right angle where you can see the back sliding door of the library. It's slightly ajar, and you spot a familiar, purple eyed asshole, watching from the hallway. He has a serious expression as he beckons for you to come out. You raise an eyebrow, giving him an are-you-fucking-serious expression. Subconsciously, you bring your hands up during this insane exchange, and Rantaro pulls away. 

"Is something wrong?" He asks, worried.

"Oh, everything is fine," You nervously smile, trying your best to maintain eye contact with him, but your gaze keeps shifting to Kokichi, who looks like he has extremely important business with you. _'Wait, what if he has information on someone plotting to kill me or something!'_ Your mind begins to fill with the endless possibilities of what Kokichi needed to talk to you about. You give him a puzzled expression, about to accidentally give away his cover, and he raises his hands, motioning for you to stop.

"Is there something th-" Rantaro is about to turn around, and you quickly jump in the way of the door, gesturing at Kokichi behind your back to shoo-away. You figure he takes your hint and hides himself behind the door because Rantaro does not say anything, and he's basically a foot taller than you so it's not like you can completely block his view.

"No, but I like need to pee really bad!" You blurt out, lying awfully, eyes darting between Rantaro and the door. There is about an hour before the deadline and you hope whatever Kokichi has to say is fucking important because you're putting _a lot_ on the line right now. Giving up a hot and steamy make out session with the guy you like for some other stranger who talks to you in puzzles? You must be insane! Well no, you are mostly just paranoid and for some reason you trust that lying asshole-- like you've trusted him for years. It is frustrating! But you need to know what's so important, important enough to follow you here from the dorms nonetheless.

"Oh, that's awkward," He chuckles nervously, a hand behind his back and his other hand scratching his head.

"I know right, what _awful timing_ ," You emphasize. "But, is it ok if I run real fast and come back?"

Rantaro seems almost annoyed by you wanting to leave, but he covers it up quickly with a smile. "Of course, no problem, I'll be here," He leans against the farthest bookshelf against the wall, arms folded, a smile on his face.

You begin walking backwards towards the exit, nervously smiling. "Ok, uh, cool, I'll be right back and then we can ya kno~agh" You trip over your feet but you catch yourself on the bookcase. Both of you share an awkward chuckle and filled with embarrassment, you fast walk out of there, sliding the door shut as you leave.

Now in the dark hallway, you cross your arms, whispering, "Kokichi what in the actu-ahh," You let out a yelp as he pulls you to the dead end of the hallway.

"Are you just a dumb ass or what? Do you just _not_ understand hints or should I make them more obvious for your slow brain?" Kokichi glares at you, holding your arm tight, whispering.

"What do you mean? I'm dumb for letting the guy I like _kiss_ me?" You question, tugging your arm out of his grip. You study his mad expression for a second, and then a light bulb goes off in your head. "Oh I get it, you're just jealous."

Before Kokichi has a chance to respond, a loud music begins boom through the school. It's intense and unsettling. You both immediately turn to the monitor that's down the hall. Barely within sight, you can see that it's portraying a variety of images with the overlapping text "ONE HOUR LEFT" blinking. It's so loud that you can barely hear yourself think. "Seems like this game is kicking into overdrive!" He gestures towards the monitor, holding his ears.

You start holding your ears as well, the music is way too loud. "Don't change the subject, admit it! You're just jealous," You scream whisper. You are mad! He just interrupted something you have literally been dreaming about for the past two days-- well besides dreaming about escaping that is.

"Do you not understand the gravity of this fucking situation?" He grabs your arm again, pulling you closer to him so he doesn't have to scream-whisper so much. "Rantaro was about to _kill_ you, you should be thanking me." On that he lets go of your arm and stands up. "Then again, maybe I shouldn't have saved your worthless life, you've never done anything for me."

"Wh-What?" You stammer, feeling everything drain from your body. Your mind goes blank and your thoughts go numb. Barely you feel your heart in your throat, and immediately you become nauseous.

 _'R-Rantaro was...'_ You face the sliding door which feels a lot further than it actually is. The room begins to spin a little. You hold your hands in front of you, studying them. _'...going to kill me?'_

Finally your eyes, swimming with panic and fear, meet Kokichi's excited expression. "Finally! Welcome to reality Short Cake-- you've now joined as a player in this fabulous game!" Kokichi folds his arms, smirking.

He seems to be enjoying this... but why? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys check out this other fic I started~ "Danganronpa: Head Canons and One Shots-- Boy Characters<3"! Don't worry, I have a planned sched to update both so I will give both fics tons of love and updates : )
> 
> Anyway: Questions, Comments, Concerns?
> 
> What a twist, right! 
> 
> Investigation will be next chapter and possibly trial/first flashback light so stay tuned!


	5. Thus it Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The killing game begins, and you are the first to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg the comments legit give me life, you guys are amazing LMAO I gotta highlight a few of my favs tho because I have reread these ones like 100 times laughing so hard:  
> -  
> "r a n t a r o w h y h a v e y o u d o n e t h i s"  
> -  
> "getting cockblocked by a grape middle schooler, yikes"  
> -  
> "bro the t e n s i o n and uhh cock itchy is def jealous ion take criticism just let them fuck already k thancc"  
> -  
> (I love all of your comments tho omg these ones were just hilarious)
> 
> Also, normally I proof read these like 100x before posting but I didn't have time this chapter so I hope it makes sense and the grammar isnt too bad. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

_'No... that can't be it... can it?'_ The scene that unfolded moments ago between you and Rantaro replays in your mind. He had welcomed you with a warm smile. He confessed his attraction to you. He even _kissed_ you for Atua's sake! There's no way that all of that could have been an elaborate murder plan!

You won't believe it! You just, can't!

"You're a sick, psychopath, you know that! I know that you're lying about Rantaro, you jealous prick!" You blurt out at the checkered boy, shaking your head to snap out of your panicked state. _'He's a compulsive liar, there's no way Rantaro was about to murder me! That's ridiculous! Why not just kill me on the spot instead of kissing me? It just doesn't add up...'_

"I'm just enjoying the game," He responds nonchalantly, talking at a normal volume now, eyes glancing down the hallway to see if anyone is coming. His eyes meet yours again, slightly narrowed. "And like I said before, I'm _not_ jealous, so get that through your narcissistic, hollow skull you thirsty bitch." 

Intense music still booms through the hallways, feeding your increasing rage and confusion. It's almost as if the music was scored specifically for your emotions to become heightened. Which makes sense if Monokuma's goal is to get the killings started. Without thinking, angrily, you harshly push Kokichi with all your might. It doesn't knock him down, but it causes him to stagger backwards before catching his balance and curling his hands into fists. His nonchalant expression disappears, being replaced by a glare. "You know what, fuck off, you pale checkered, tiny dicked, abortion! You've been sprouting nonsense to me since I helped you out of that locker. Telling lies on top of lies mixed in puzzles and shit. Who the fuck are you? The Riddler?! Just be honest for one god damn time in your life!"

Kokichi doesn't respond for a second. Clenching his fists, he stares down at your shoes. The extreme music fills the silence that would be there had this been a normal day. You take a few short breaths, easing out of your angered state. It was satisfying to push the asshole who's been making your life hell. To finally release the frustration you feel towards him for messing with your emotions. For making you like his joking attitude and shaggy hair. For making you hate his puzzles and lying. For making you on edge for the past two days. You feel... relieved. Kokichi, on the other hand, you don't know how he feels-- at all.

It's too late for his emotions to matter because finally, his fists loosen and he takes a deep breath, releasing a sigh. "You know," He speaks, before raising his face to meet yours. You drop your mad glare as you realize the pure nonchalance of his expression. Kokichi shows you no emotion whatsoever. This makes you feel... bad in a way. Worse than if he were to cry, or laugh, or glare. Just pure nothingness. He is ultimately unreadable. "I'm done." He states, throwing his hands to the back of his head. "I'm used to being the villain, it's whatever really, but for you to refuse to take off those rose-colored glasses of yours to finally see all the red flags about this situation; Not realizing your own gullible-ity is tiring... I'm _bored_ with helping you." Kokichi lets out an exasperated yawn as he starts his way down the hallway, leaving you with a puzzled look.

 _'Why does that sound like the most genuine thing he's said...?'_ You wonder to yourself, starting to reevaluate the situation. _'Perhaps he was actually trying to help me out?'_ These mind games kill you mentally. Earlier in the night you thought he was trying to give you hints, to keep you safe for some reason. However, watching his face beam while he talks about the killing just makes your stomach turn, leading you to believe that there was never really any hidden messages to begin with... or were there...? Kokichi's puzzles are driving you up the fucking wall and you want answers--no, you _need_ answers. "Wait, Kokichi, what do yo-"

He waves a hand in the air, back still turned to you, disappearing down the hallway, "Have fun with your boy toy, you thirsty slut." With those words dissipating into the loud music, he heads up the stairs, and leaves you without any answers. No clues, no clarity, no... nothing. 

Yes, you have been wanting him to leave you alone, but at the same time you liked his weird interest in you. You kind of liked the weird, teasing relationship that had begun forming between the two of you. But now, you might have just ruined it. This interaction does not feel teasingly at all, or friendly for that matter. Like Kokichi's expression, it leaves you with a feeling of nothingness. Why does this make your heart hurt so bad though? For some reason, it feels as if you just had a fight with someone you've been really close to for years, which doesn't add up at all. You hated the Chess Boy! Yeah, that's right. The two of you were _not_ friends and you had to get that through your stubborn mind. You needed to focus on someone positive, someone who doesn't make you hate him....

"Rantaro!" Immediately you turn to face the sliding door that leads to the library. Amidst the fight with Kokichi and the extreme, booming music, you had completely forgotten about the sweet, green haired boy waiting for you in the library. You know, for a fact, that Rantaro would never be out to kill you, so you began to feel bad for making him wait so long. Missing the feeling of his soft lips meeting yours. The excitement you felt as he passionately held you between him and the bookcase. Claiming that you had to pee and would be right back, leaving him in there all alone. _'He must be freaking out!'_ Is the conclusion you come to. Not wanting to stall or waste anymore time, you run over to the door.

Carefully you place your hand on the sliders handle. For some reason, your heart begins to beat faster and the music begins to feel off to the distance. You shut your eyes, taking a deep breath. Why are you so nervous? Why does something feel off about this whole situation? Releasing the breath, you confidently throw the door open.

...

Suddenly you hear a girl's blood curdling scream.

...

No, not just any girl's scream, but your own. Your voice feels foreign in your ears as you freeze at the door, bringing a shaking hand up to your lips. "R-Rantaro?!" Your legs start to tremble in fear. _'No, this can't be! There's no way this is real! This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real, thisisn'trealthisisn'trealthisisn'trealthisisn'tre-'_

"(Y/n)! What's wrong?!" A boy shouts to you as you hear several, pounding footsteps make their way over to you. You're so lost in your swimming thoughts that you don't even realize the intense music finally stopped. In addition, you don't notice the bookcase that's closing in off to your left side, as if the bookcase had slid forward at some point and was sliding back now. None of these extra things matter to you at the moment.

It takes a moment, but soon you can feel others standing around you. Your gaze does not leave the scene that lays before your eyes. Opening your mouth, yet finding no words to speak, you bring a shaky hand upwards, pointing directly in front of you. 

"No way..." A male voice despairingly comments. From his demeanor you're pretty sure the male is Kaito.

"T-There's no _way_ this is real! R-Right?!" A female voice chimes in. You think it's Tenko's, you're not too sure though.

"He is one with Atua now," Angie announces-- and yes you _know_ that this voice is Angie's.

There, lays the corpse of the late Rantaro Amami, right on the floor next to the bookcase you two were previously kissing in front of. Vibrant, pink blood splatter trickles down the bookcase from above. A puddle of that same, dreadful color sits around his head. One bloody shot put ball sits a few inches away from his head, it looks still wet as if it just happened-- Which is the only logically answer given that you just were talking to the boy no more than five minutes prior. 

DING DONG, BING BONG!

Suddenly, the monitor in the library comes to life, displaying an excited array of Monokubz. The glow from the monitors disrupts your peripheral vision, causing you to slowly turn your gaze to watch it despite your overwhelming fear. "A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! GET YOUR ASSES TO THE LIBRARY YOU SLOW FUCKS!" Monokid announces with a hardy laugh.

"Yeah you losers! Three or more people have witnessed a corpse so we can finally announce it! Anyway, make your way there now," Monotaro adds, making a fist.

"Who do you think dunnit?" Monosuke asks the others in a joking manner.

Monophanie crosses her arms. "How can you be so insensitive? Someone just died, show some respect, Monosuke." 

"I'm just curious, jeez!"

Monodam stares at the camera. "..."

"Anyway, Father should be there shortly so get your asses down there!" Montaro jumps up on the couch in a fighting stance.

"SO LONG, BEAR WELL!" They all sign off and the monitor blinks back to black. 

In no time at all you watch as the front door of the library flings open, with Shuichi and Kaede storming in. "Oh no!" Kaede yelps as they both make it all the way to the back of the library, out of breath from running. She stops dead in her tracks, a hand over her mouth. "T-This is horrible."

Shuichi is quiet as his eyes scan the new crime scene. Only a "Hmm.." escapes his lips as he too brings a hand to his mouth. The rim of his hat hides his expression.

The people who had gathered behind you begin to enter the library as more start to fill in. You take a few steps inside, towards the body, taking a few deep breaths. Everyone begins to break into conversation all around you, sixteen voices all talking at once. "Hey, are you okay?" A close voice brings you out of your daze while a hand rests on your shoulder. Surprisingly, it's Miu.

You turn, facing the normally vulgar girl. You are glad that she decides to check on you, but can't help from letting your emotions out. "I-I just wasn't expecting it to be _him_ of all people," Tears begin to fill your eyes as your legs wobble even more. You find yourself falling into Miu, hugging her, nuzzling your head into her soft pillows. "T-This is awful!" You cry.

"EEEEEeeee!" Miu screams, her face filled with embarrassment. "G-Get off me you pervert!" She lightly pushes you off of her. "I get that your crush just died but jeez, chill out the waterworks."

You stand up, wiping your eyes with your sleeve. "S-Sorry."

"Get yourself together you waste of sperm! Showing your feelings like that during something like this is just fucking dumb," She crosses her arms, eyes narrowed at you. 

She's not fully glaring at you though, her eyes seem to be screaming at you to be cautious. You understand. It _is_ a killing game after all; You have to pull yourself together. These words seem familiar though. Suddenly, you remember what Kokichi was telling you in the hallway. _"Do you not understand the gravity of this fucking situation?"_ He was giving you the same advice, in a way. Don't let your emotions take over. That's what they were both saying, wasn't it? 

Nodding, you wipe the rest of your tears, and zone back into the scene in front of you. Miu is right. In times like this, you can't be weak! How else will you be able to avenge him? _'Wait, how did_ _she know?'_ Your sad expression changes to one of puzzlement with a hint of a blush. "Miu, how did you know that I had a c-crush on him?" 

"Duh-Doy! It was pretty fucking obvious. You were practically begging for his dick," She smiles at you, laughing, giving you a light slap on the back.

Your face immediately turns red. "D-Does everyone know about that?"

"PUHUHuhuhu! Uh, yeah, you're not exactly subtle," Monokuma's voice sends a chill down your spine as it overlaps everyone else's. He surprises everyone, causing them all to ignore his embarrassing statement about you. A sigh of relief escapes your lips.

"M-Monokuma!" A bunch of you stutter out at once, others letting out gasps, some growling, and a few staying quiet with their arms crossed.

"Enough about your personal relationships, (y/n), there's more important matters at hand!" Monokuma appears in the middle of the library. You all watch him nervously. "Now, a bear always keeps his promises so let's jump right in, shall we?... If you killed Rantaro step forward and claim your First Blood Perk! Come on now, don't be shy! You've definitely earned the right to graduate without a trial!"

 _'Oh yeah, the First Blood Perk. The motive...'_ Everyone stays quiet. Your eyes scan everyone else's in the room. First you meet eyes with Shuichi. You remember him acting extremely suspicious earlier. Raising an eyebrow at him, he nervously looks to someone else. _'Well, that's suspicious,'_ You think to yourself as your eyes continue to wait in anticipation for whoever is going to step forward. Looking up at Miu, she looks back at you and shrugs, crossing her arms, tapping her foot lightly. You continue to go down the line, as everyone else does as well. Faces of despair, impatience, and nonchalance continue to suspect each other for a strong minute. Inevitably, your eyes reach Kokichi's gaze. He crosses his arms as well, showing no expression once again, as he adverts his attention from you, pretending to ignore you. _'Asshole...'_ You glare for a second, before returning your gaze to the mechanical bear in the center. No one ever stepped forward.

" _WHAAAAT_ , really? The killer is _noooot_ gonna claim the super awesome freebie of their kill and escape this place?!" Monokuma brings a paw up to his permanent, twisted smile. 

Again, silence fills the room. Still, nobody claims to be the killer. "Just fess up already you sick fuck!" Miu shouts out, stomping her foot. "This anticipation is driving me fucking crazy!"

"Yeah. If you killed for the perk, you might as well claim it. Otherwise, you're just causing a huge hassle for the rest of the group," Maki adds, folding her arms, face in a glare.

"Well hold on guys," Shuichi intervenes, everyone surprised by the sudden confidence in his voice. He's never been this confident, ever. Perhaps something happened earlier in the night? Shuichi realizes all the eyes on him, and his confidence slightly drops. "I-It's still possible that the killer _wants_ us to suffer by not taking the perk."

"But this shouldn't even _be_ continuing right now..." Kaede chimes in, her voice distraught. "Rantaro was the mastermind, right?"

"What?!" You blurt out. There's no way Rantaro, that chill green haired boy, could have been the mastermind. "What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense! I was literally with him like five minutes ago, there's no _way_ he was the mastermind!" 

All conversation stops. With suspecting gazes, they all look at you. "Nya ha! Well, case solved, (y/n) obviously did the murder!" Angie happily clasps her hands together.

"That is quite suspicious (y/n), care to tell us the details so we can farther elaborate on your alibi," Kirumi folds her hands in front of her, eyes staring into your soul.

You feel yourself taking a step back. No way. They all think _you_ killed Rantaro? You're so stupid! Why would you tell a room full of people that you saw the victim literally five minutes before they were murdered?! This isn't good! This isn't good at all! This i-

"There's no way that Sugar Slut over here is the murderer you cum bags!" Miu stands up for you, pointing at them. "Look at her, she's so short and tiny like my first ride if you catch my drift, obviously she wouldn't be able to take down someone as tall as Rantaro you dumb fucks!"

"M-Miu," You're surprised that she feels close enough to you already to stand up for you. She really is becoming one of your good friends here. You can't help but smile slightly at her. She returns the smile.

"I got you girl," She winks. You feel relieved. It's nice to know someone will be on your side through all this.

"Well I'd say it's highly unlikely, but certainly not impossible," Ryoma's huge, grey eyes stare at you.

Monokuma _loudly_ clears his throat. "Excuuuse me! Before you all start suspecting each other, which I loooove by the way-- mind if I finish up here? My legs are starting to grow tiiiired."

"As a robot, I can state that robots do not grow tired in that fashion. In conclusion, Monokuma is lying," Kiibo puts his hands on his hips, smiling to himself, happy to give you that useless information.

"Who cares!" Monokuma raises his hands in annoyance. "Anyway," He folds his robot arms, everyone watching him once more. "Whenever a body is found, you will all receive a Monokuma file on your Monopads! This file contains all relevant information about who died and the state of the body. However, remember, this _is_ a game so any key facts that could lead directly to the murderer will be abstained from the file!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kaito shakes a fist at the bear.

"Yeah, how is that fair at all? What a paaain," Himiko adds, tilting down her mage's hat.

"You degenerate males! Hiding important information!" Tenko jumps into a fighting stance. "Maybe with my akido, I can beat the information out of ya!"

"Let's not do anything too rash!" Kaede interjects, raises her hands in a stopping motion. 

"Yeah, how do we even know the information you're gonna give us is true?" Tsumugi points a finger to her chin.

"Guess you have to just blindly trust me! PUHUHUhuhu!" Monokuma shrugs. "Anyway, you'll have two hours to investigate, so you better leave no stone unturned! See you at the class triiiiaaaallll!"

Before anymore questions or comments can leave anyone's mouths, Monokuma sprints out of the room, disappearing. Quickly, you unzip your black bag and pull out the monopad. A message notification pops up on it and you click it. Immediately, Rantaro's file pops up, and tells you everything of importance. 

**~ Victim: Rantaro Amami**

**H: 5'10 W: 137lbs C: 32"**

**Body found in the library.**

**Blunt force to head// killed instantly.**

**No other external wounds~**

**TRUTH BULLET.**

_'That's weird, it doesn't say the time of death...'_ Everyone is left in a sort of awkward silence as you all stand around, unsure of which action to take first. You end up looking to Shuichi because he _is_ the Ultimate Detective anyway. Almost everyone else gets the same idea, looking to him for answers. Kaede leans into Shuichi, and whispers something to him. Raising an eyebrow, you watch him nod. He stands up tall as he puts his hands on his hips. "O-Okay guys, listen up, this is what we need to do. But before that, Kaede and I have to tell you about something."

-

Shuichi had spilled about his and Kaede's plan to catch the mastermind with their cameras set up. **TRUTH BULLET.**

Immediately your heart stopped as you watched them remove the cameras, one of them right in front of where you and Rantaro were kissing. _'So awkward! Shit!'_ You felt almost naked in a way, knowing that somewhere in those camera films is a picture of you and Rantaro kissing. Also you felt terrified because it serves as farther evidence pinpointing you as the murderer, even though you were in the hallway with Kokichi when the murder happened. They would never believe that though... would they? Anyway, you emitted a huge sigh of relief when Monophanie offered to take the cameras to develop them, stealing them away before anyone really gave consent for her to go through with it.

Shortly after that fiasco, Shuichi explained that everyone should watch someone else during the investigation, to ensure that no evidence is tampered with. Truly the words of the Ultimate Detective for sure. You find yourself admiring his talent, wishing that your talent could be just as helpful as his, which it's not, unless somehow being able to make delicious candies and treats can solve a murder. Anyway, as you all start your investigation, you notice everyone pairing up into groups except for Kokichi.

"You guys can go ahead and be buddy-buddy all you want, I'm gonna head to my room and wait until the fun part begins, kay?" He chuckles as he throws his hands behind his head, spinning on his heels towards the exit.

"Hey you little brat!" Tenko yells, "You should be helping us you degenerate male! Your life is on the line too, ya know!"

He ignores her as he continues towards the door. "Hey, at least tell us your alibi before ditching," Kirumi suggests coldly.

"Oh my alibi?" Kokichi stops in his tracks, and turns around to face everyone. "I was in my room the _whole_ time, alone." ' **TRUTH' BULLET.**

"Wait, that do-" You're cut off by Kokichi, who narrows his eyes at you.

"Do with this information as you please." He then smiles, turning to walk out once more. Finally, he leaves the room.

"Well that was a shit ton of unhelpfulness," Miu spits, rolling her eyes.

 _'Why did he just lie right now? What's he getting at?'_ You wonder. You can tell that you two still have tension from earlier, but why would he give them an alibi that would completely contradict yours? Now if you say you were in the hall with him, no one would believe you! That jerk! You have half a mind to stomp up to him an-

Before you know it you're walking over to the exit, wanting to talk to Kokichi. Miu snags your bag, though, causing you to be suspended in your tracks. "Hey, what gives?" You ask the inventor, crossing your arms. "I have to talk to him about something important."

"Well if you were smart, you'd fucking investigate the library first you dumbass," She let's go of you and you turn to face her.

"What do you mean? Shuichi and Kaede are already investigating the crime scene, why do I have to do it too?" You try to sound annoyed, but in reality you don't want to look at the body. Witnessing someone's cold, dead body when just moments ago they were filled with life makes you feel queezy. Especially it being someone you like... You almost start to tear up again, but you stop yourself. _'Be strong damnit!'_ You internally yell at yourself. 

Miu continues her elucidation, "Uh because you're like the number one suspect? What, you're gonna let all of our lives rest in just Shuichi's sticky hands? How will you rebuttal those assholes if you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about?" She puts her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes at you.

"Miu that's actually, really smart," Your eyes widen with realization that if they all vote you, everyone but the killer will die. You can't let that happen!

"Duh Doy! I _am_ the most gorgeous, smartest girl on the whole fucking planet!" She bellows in laughter. 

You giggle at the extreme girl, enjoying her company. She's definitely been your rock through all this so far. "Hey Miu, why are you being so nice to me? Like, we've only known each other for a few days and you already believe in me so much..." 

Immediately Miu loses her confident stance, and turns to a more frail and blushy one. "D-don't ask such p-personal questions, creep! I j-just like having you around because you actually, like f-find me funny..." You smile at her, happy that she sees you as a friend. However, Miu doesn't give you time to respond before switching her personality once more. "Plus, I can totes tell that you're too much of a sub to commit a murder. Like you have 'please-daddy-dominate-me' written all over your face all the fucking time Short Stack!" She laughs once more.

Your face turns completely red. "All because I'm short, doesn't m-mean I'm a sub!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that Short Stack," She ruffles your hair. You both giggle.

Now that the mood is lightened and you have someone by your side, you're ready to start investigating the crime scene. You can wait to talk to Kokichi later, first you need to figure out what exactly happened here. "Well, let's start investigating!"

" _You_ need to investigate. _I'm_ gonna use my drone to take arial photos of the room," She pulls a drone out of who knows where and begins to fly it around. "Don't worry though, I'll be by your side, you'll just be doing all the dirty work you whore." **TRUTH BULLET.**

Oh okay then, you guess that's fine too. You take a moment to prepare yourself, giving yourself an inner pep talk before finally letting your feet take you to the crime scene in the back of the library where Shuichi and Kaede are. "Fuck." You comment, eyes landing on the body that's now in front of you.

"(Y/n), are you alright?" Shuichi asks, standing from a kneeling position over the body.

"Yeah, we all kind of could tell your feelings towards him, this must be really hard on you..." Kaede stands up as well, worry in her eyes.

"Really? It was _that_ obvious? That's so embarrassing," Awkwardly you giggly, grabbing your arm in your hand anxiously. You swallow dryly as you look at the body.

"It was super obvious for sure, but don't worry about it too much, it was kind of cute," Kaede giggles, flashing you a small smile. **TRUTH BULLET.**

Shuichi scratches the back of his head. "Look, (y/n), if it makes you feel too upset, you don't have to inspect the body, for real."

You look at him, almost wanting to let his words sway you into not inspecting the body. "N-No I get it, but I need to inspect it," You pump your fists with determination. _'I can do this! I got this! Just pretend it's like special effect make up or something!'_ Your eyes fall to Rantaro once more. "I am a prime suspect, right?" You ask the duo, a tinge of dread in your voice.

"Well yes, but I really don't think yo-"

"Shuichi, I have to do this for my own sake. This is a killing game and if I don't start to face that reality now, me and everyone else could be killed too!" You stare into his eyes, a newfound confidence in your mind. He responds with an understanding nod, smiling at you. You smile back, determined, and slowly lower yourself into a crouching stance to investigate the body. Once again, Kokichi's voice finds it way to you through your memories from your earlier conversation. 

_"Finally! Welcome to reality Short Cake-- you've now joined as a player in this fabulous game!"_

_'He was right. We're players in this game, that's the reality of all this. This isn't a joke, or a video game, or a dream. This is reality and we have to be smart.'_ Your heart crawls its way up to your throat. Suddenly, you feel like an idiot. Like an asshole. Kokichi was telling you all of this all along. He was trying to push you into understanding how harsh these conditions are. How real all of this is. Instead, you labeled him as the fucking Riddler and told him off all the while a murder happened right in the room next door. Perhaps you could have stopped it. Then again, perhaps you wouldn't even be here right now. _"Rantaro was about to kill you..."_

You immediately begin to root through the dead boy's pockets. Looking for something. You don't know what but you need to find it. It's the only thing that will determine the lies from the truths that spouted out of Kokichi's mouth. "Monopad... Room key... where is it?" You mumble to yourself, switching to his other pockets on the other side. Finally, you find what you thought you were looking for. A chill runs down your spine. "This... this is..."

Shuichi quickly brings himself to your level. "(Y/n), what did you find? Anything important?" He asks, eyes wide.

"A kitchen knife." You coldly state, instantly removing your hands from his pockets, hands shaking. "Kokichi was, right." **TRUTH BULLET.**

"Huh?" Shuichi asks, searching your eyes for a better answer.

"Oh, I can explain it all later, in the trial," You cross your arms, no longer sad about Rantaro's death, but now pissed. He played you like a fiddle. He knew of your crush and took advantage of it to plan a murder. You are sure of it. "But you saw the knife too, right?"

"No, we didn't," Shuichi nervously replies, tilting his hat in embarrassment. "My bad, it must of been under his body in the other pockets."

"All good, good thing I decided to search too," You smile slightly at the shy boy.

You finish investigating the crime scene. You take note of the blood dripping down the book case, the head wound, and the shot put ball. The three biggest clues around. **TRUTH BULLET (x3).**

As you finish up, you decide to chat with Shuichi once more before leaving to find Kokichi. You're pretty sure you have taken note of everything important so far, but it didn't hurt to ask the cute detective if there's anything else you should know about before leaving. As the prime suspect, you need as many details as possible. "Hey Shuichi, is there anything else you guys found out about the case?"

"Oh yeah, perfect timing actually," Kaede smiles as she and Shuichi turn around. "We have been collecting everyone's alibis."

"O-Oh really?" You stammer. 

"Yeah, where were you right before the incident?" Shuichi raises an eyebrow at you, almost as if he knows you were down here for sure. 

Due to Kokichi lying about what he was doing, you're unsure whether to tell them the truth or to trust the purple haired asshole. You know that the truth will help clear you faster, but you have been shooting down Kokichi since day one and as the case unravels more and more, you begin to see the truth in the lies he was telling you earlier. If you had just trusted him when he told you to stay in your room, you wouldn't even be a suspect in the first place. If you had listened when he said to face reality, you could have believed that you were targeted for murder... but you didn't. 

So, on a whim, you decide to trust in him. "I was.. in the bathroom on the first floor, alone." You lie. **'TRUTH' BULLET.**

"O-Oh!" Shuichi blushes and adverts his attention. "S-Sorry for asking."

Kaede giggles, "Shuichi you do know that girls use the bathroom too, right?"

"Yeah I know that! It's just, awkward.." He mumbles, still looking away.

You can't help but giggle as well. Partially due to nerves from lying to a professional, and the other part for the fact that he's so embarrassed from such a light statement. "You're such a boy." You tease.

"S-Shut up!" He crosses his arms, adjusting his hat. "Anyway, that alibi makes sense given the circumstances."

"Yeah, no one else saw you, but we can tell you where everyone else was if it helps you feel better. You're not the only one who could have been capable of this murder and I have a feeling you didn't do it, but I do know everyone else thinks you did it." Kaede nervously chuckles. "Anyway, Kokichi, Ryoma, and Kiibo were alone in their rooms. Kirumi, Miu, Kiyo, and Tsumugi were in the dining room. Finally, Kaito, Angie, Maki, Gonta, Tenko, and Himiko were in the game room. And of course, you know that Shuichi and I were in the classroom by the stairs." She smiles at you. **TRUTH BULLET.**

"T-Thanks Kaede, I appreciate it," You smile back. It feels good to know that they don't think that you did it. However, you're not quite in the clear yet. _'Crap, I still gotta find Kokichi and ask him why the fuck he screwed over my alibi earlier!'_ Your mind begins to kick into overdrive as you think of why he would lie about that, of all things. 

"No prob," Kaede replies.

"Well, I'm gonna talk to some more people and I'll see you guys around," You give them a small wave as you go to leave the library.

Right as you reach the door, however, you are interrupted by an announcement.

DING DONG, BING BONG. 

A voice echoes throughout the school. "Welp, I'm getting bored so instead of an extra hour to look around, I want you guys to meet me at my beaaautiful shrine! It's trial time baaaaby!"

The monitor clicks off. Everyone in the library exchanges worried expressions. Your heart gradually speeds up as anxiety begins to fill in. 

This is it. The time where you guys will have to choose the right person, or be executed. The only way to save everyone is to be able to prove your innocence, and of course, Kokichi had to make that harder than it needed to be, so you have to give this trial everything you got! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I made the blood pink. I know its a HC or actually cannon that the blood is actually red, but I like pink haha
> 
> Also, this first case is gonna be easy so we can ease into it together lol, as the murders continue, I'm planning more elaborate murders and such haha. Think of Rantaro's case as the typical Yasuhiro demo case lmao
> 
> Questions, Comments, Concerns?
> 
> I know, I said possible trial and flashback light and such, but the investigation ended up being super longer than I thought aaaand I kept teetering on how I wanted it to play out soooo trial will be next chapter haha (don't worry, more Kokichi + flirting will happen next chapter too~)


	6. A Deadly Dance of Truths and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first trial of this killing game takes place and you must do everything to clear your name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG so many comments, bookmarks, and kudos in just a few days💕 You guys are amazing and, again, you are my inspiration! I hope you enjoy this next chapter 
> 
> This is by far the longest chapter so buckle yourselves in : )
> 
> (Also if you think I proof read this you're insane)

"WHOOAA THAT'S SOOOOO COOL!" Kokichi beams in excitement as the Monokuma statue at the shrine in the courtyard transforms, becoming animated and making way for the entrance to the elevator to appear.

"There's nothing cool about this," Maki rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. She looks stone cold, but you figure she's gotta be scared on the inside like everyone else... right?

"I mean it's kinda cool," You hate to agree with the Chess Boy, but Kokichi _does_ have a point. You've never seen anything like this in your life and despite the deadly circumstances, you can't deny that the technology here never ceases to amaze you. Just like the Exisals-- they're crazy cool. However, Kokichi does not acknowledge your agreement, and instead places his attention elsewhere, giving you a cold shoulder. _'Is he really still mad at me?'_ You wonder as you grab your arm anxiously, walking towards the elevator.

Cautiously, all seventeen-- well now sixteen-- of you begin to enter the newly appeared elevator. "Gonta feel uneasy, elevator strange," Gonta comments, being the first to step inside.

"It's just plain weird for an elevator to plainly sprout out from the plain ground," Tsumugi basically chirps, putting a finger to her chin, finding a spot to stand in.

"Still not as intense as some places can be..." Ryoma digs his hands into his pockets, marching inside.

You're next to enter. As you step into the metal box, the temperature around you drastically drops. Lightly, you shiver, finding a spot in the back corner of the contraption. It feels dreary. Bleak. Hopeless inside. The reality of the situation sinks in even more as you grip your arm a little tighter, surveying the faces around you as the rest file in. "It's so cold in here I can feel my nipples trying to poke holes in my shirt!" Miu barks, hands on hips, taking a spot in the middle. 

"Miu, I do not find that kind of commentary appropriate in a situation like this," Kirumi stares daggers at your friend.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, chill the fuck out you virgin," Miu rolls her eyes, folding her arms.

You giggle, releasing the grip on your arm a little. It felt nice to have some comic relief through all this. However, soon, you drop your giggle as Kokichi is the last one to enter, choosing to stand next to you. His hands are hanging behind his head as he stretches his ankles by going on his tiptoes. "Things are finally picking up around here," He muses, the elevator door sliding shut automatically behind everyone.

"I wonder how this thing is supposed to star-agh!" Kaede loses her footing, falling into Shuichi as the elevator jolts and shakes. You can see him blushing as he helps hold her up, her boobs pressed against his chest. _'They're kinda cute together,'_ You think to yourself.

A motor starts to hum somewhere, and the elevator begins to drop decently fast, as if you are plummeting to the bottom of the Earth. "Whoa!" You yelp along with a few others, struggling to keep from falling. Luckily, you catch yourself with the wall, adjusting your body to the speed of the drop, and then making your way to stand up straight.

"Whoever designed this death trap definitely didn't follow any safety protocols," Miu grumbles aloud. 

"For once I agree with something Miu has said," Kiyo adds, readjusting his mask.

Everyone breaks into small conversations as the elevator continues to drop at an unimaginable speed. You find yourself looking over to the asshole to your left, glaring at him. What gives? Why did he fuck over your alibi? Why is he so excited? Why is he... always on your mind? Agh! You finally speak up, but only loud enough to get his attention. "Why did you lie? Is it because of our argument?" You question the purple haired leader, repositioning your arms into a crossed position.

"Hm?" He doesn't look at you as he watches the ground continuously zip past in front of him as the elevator drops.

"You heard me," You whisper, still glaring.

"Oh I guess I'm just curious because _now_ you're suddenly interested in what I have to say-- despite not trusting me in the slightest." Kokichi nonchalantly responds, stretching his arms before dipping his hands into his pant pockets, body still facing forward as his head turns to you. "As for the argument, why does that bother _you_ so much if you hate me? Hm?"

For some reason you blush at that statement, shifting your feet. He has a valid point. You come up with an answer, quick. "I dunno, maybe because our lives are on the line and you keep acting like this is fun!"

"Who said I'm acting?" Kokichi raises an eyebrow at you as he smirks.

"Stop playing around, I'm serious!" You whisper harshly, your hands turning into fists at your sides as they unravel from their position. Your blush is gone now.

The elevator continues to plummet, seeming endless. He furrows his brows at you as he takes a side step closer to you. Kokichi slightly leans over, facing forward. "Maybe if you didn't have your head up your ass you would understand why I said it. But, I guess you have to wait until the trial. Just know this..." He faces you, his violet eyes stone cold as they meet yours. "I'm the villain here, not you."

"Wha-What?" You stammer, searching his cold gaze for a better answer. He answered his puzzles with, surprisingly, another puzzle. _'What does that even mean?_

You rack his words around in your head as he stands up straight again, face looking forward once more, eyes locked on the fast moving wall. "Then again, I'm a liar, so why would you believe anything I say?"

CRASH!

The elevator comes to a jolting halt before you can reply. Everyone falls all over the place. Kaede falls into Shuichi, Kiibo falls into Miu, Himiko falls into Angie which erupts a growl from Tenko who falls into Gonta along with Kiyo, and of course, you fall into Kokichi. He doesn't catch you-- well actually the only one to catch anyone is Gonta-- as you all fall onto the floor in a mess of bodies and limbs. A series of groans, "ows" and yelps erupt from everyone as you all lay on the hard metal, the doors gradually opening in the front. There's no time for any wise-guy comments from Kokichi as you lay perpendicular on him, your back on top of his back. Without getting up, you all turn your attention to the bear in the elevator doorway, viciously smiling at you all. "PUHUHUhuhuhu! Come on now guys, this isn't the time to be feeling up your classmates, the first class trial is about to start!"

You all look around at each other, worry in your faces.

Gathering yourselves together, you all enter the trial room-- half of you annoyed, the other half confused, and Kokichi who's amused. It's not as scary as you imagined it would be, if you're being honest. It just looks like a typical, class trial room, yet futuristic in a way. Beautifully painted stained glass windows tower on the walls above you. The ground in a smooth, dark blue hue that takes the shape of several circles, outlined in white. In the center of these circles stands peculiar looking podiums, each one a futuristic-y sea green color, glowing lightly in the semi-dark atmosphere that is the trial room. It feels surreal, honestly. The whole room feels like a setting out of a science fiction movie. On top of all of that, suddenly Monokuma jumps up very high, and lands on a red throne that oversees the podiums. "It's show time baby!" He announces, as all the Monokubz jump out from various directions in the room, landing on little red velvet circles to stand on that sit in front of Monokuma's throne, but lower towards the ground.

"Rise and shine, Ursine!" They all greet, posing in various, silly positions.

"OOOOWwwweeee I am PSYCHED for this trial!" Monokid bellows.

"It will be quite an interesting one, indeed," Monosuke adjusts his glasses.

Monophanie holds her paws up to her chest. "The anticipation is so scary, I wonder who will win."

"My money's on the blackened!" Monotaro announces, pumping a fist. "A blackened has never won the first trial before so I would love to see such a twist!"

"Monotaro does have a point," Monosuke agrees. 

"..." Monodam watches the others in silence.

"Oh aren't my wittle cubs just so cute!" Monokuma wiggles in his chair, a tongue seeping out from his mouth. 

"What the fuck? This shit keeps getting weirder! Why the fuck does the talking teddy bear have a tongue? What kinda kinky shit is the mastermind into?" Miu breaks your class's silence, taking a few steps forward, raising an eyebrow at Monokuma.

"Must be a degenerate male in charge, only they would be so sick and twisted to add such a useless, perverted feature!" Tenko crosses her arms, making a face at Monokuma.

"Do you think it's like metal or like an actual tongue?" You question, quite curious about the actual features behind it.

"Why? You into that kinky shit? What a thirsty slut!" Kokichi comments, looking at his hand.

You blush insanely. "S-Shut the fuck up! I'm just curious you.. you.. er.." For some reason you have difficulty coming up with a good come back.

Miu interjects though, "I believe the phrase you're looking for is grape checkered middle schooler," She laughs.

"Says the cum dumpster," Kokichi instantly responds, not missing a beat.

 _'How does he come up with those so quick!'_ You ask yourself, kind of admiring the liar's ability to roast people so efficiently.

Monokuma clears his throat, loudly. "Excuse me, can you all stop ripping each other apart and let me finish my introduction? Save it for the trial!"

You, Miu, and Kokichi shut up, returning your attention to the bear. "Whatever," Miu grumbles, flipping her hair.

"Praise be Atua for bringing peace once more," Angie mumbles, smiling to the sky with her hands clasped together.

"Maybe prison _was_ better," Ryoma rolls his wide eyes.

"ANYYYYWHOOOOoooo!" Monokuma shouts, gesturing with his hands as he speaks. "The rules of the trial are quite simple. You will all debate on who you think the _blackened_ is! If you vote correctly when voting time comes around, the blackend will be punished and the _spotless_ will get to live another day in the killing game. Pick the wroooong choice, and everyone _but_ the blackened will be punished, allowing the blackened to graduate from the School for Gifted Juveniles. And just in case you're all denser than a sack of rocks, punished is a polite way of saying... _executed_! Sooooo, now that _that's_ out of the way, choose your podium and start pointing fingers! Your life depends on it after all."

"YEEEEEE HAAAWWwwww time to get this showing on the fucking road! BWHAHAHAHA!" Monokid strums his electric blue guitar.

"Monokid, you never cease to annoy the shit out of me," Monosuke sighs.

"Well annoying people always give me a ROCK HARD RAAAAAGGER!" He bellows, laughing.

Kaede ignores the extra bears, pumping her fists. "We got this guys! We aren't gonna lose to the mastermind! Not now, not ever!" She smiles at everyone, and then faces Shuichi. "Right, Shuichi?"

Shuichi smiles back, tilting his hat. "Right!"

\--------------------

**T R I A L * S T A R T**

\--------------------

**TRUTH BULLETS:**

  * **Monokuma File** \---- _(Rantaro Amami: 5'10. 137lbs. C 32". Body found in library; Blunt force to head// Killed instantly; No other injuries_ )
  * **Shuichi and Kaede's Plan** - _(Set up modified cameras by Miu; Alarm on bookcase; Books stacked by vent; Hidden in classroom by basement stairs)_
  * **'Kokichi's Alibi'** \----( _In his room during murder)_
  * **Miu's Drone** \---- _(Aerial pictures of room)_
  * **(Y/n)'s Crush on Rantaro** \---- _(Obvious to everyone, even Rantaro?)_
  * **Kitchen Knife** \----( _Found on Rantaro's body; unused)_
  * **Blood Dripping on Bookcase**
  * **Bloody Shotput Ball**
  * **'(Y/n)'s Alibi'** \---- _(In 1st floor bathroom during murder.)_
  * **Everyone Else's Alibis** \---- _(Ryoma, and Kiibo were alone in their rooms; Kirumi, Miu, Kiyo, and Tsumugi in the dining room. Kaito, Angie, Maki, Gonta, Tenko, and Himiko in the game room.)_



**_\------------------_**

This pumps everyone up! You're even pumped up despite being a main suspect. Kaede's positive energy is infectious and you feel like you can beat anyone and overcome anything. You're empowered! You're determined! You're.... standing at the podium right next to Kokichi.... Great. "Go stand somewhere else," You glare at him as he crosses his arms.

"Why, does me being next to you, _bother_ you?" He questions, nonchalantly. "I was standing here first by the way, you were the one who walked over to _me_."

"Not uh!" You retort, but then you begin to remember that you were caught up in your own thoughts when you approached the podium. Was he telling the truth?

"Yeah huh!"

"Not uuuh!"

"Yeah huuuh!"

"Not. U-"

"Don't even pay any attention to that asshole, Sugar Slut, we're gonna clear your name, find the fucking killer, and get out of this joint soon! Kay?" Miu pumps a fist, standing at the podium on the other side of you, cutting off your childish argument.

"Well, he started it!" You point at him as he fakes a sad face.

"This short bitch is being so mean.... She's making me out to be a jerk.... it really hurts my..... feelings.... WWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhhhh!" A stream of tears rush down Kokichi's face as he cries.

"If you're done with your tedious skit, I would like to actually start the trial...." Kirumi folds her arms, staring you both down.

"But I didn-" You're cut off.

Kokichi's tears instantly stop, and he throws his hands behind his head with a smile. "Oh okay yeah no prob! In that case, let's just get this over with."

"My sensors are telling me this is gonna be a long trial," Kiibo sighs, rolling his eyes.

"Not as long as my non-existent dick!" Miu laughs, hands promptly on her hips.

"Anyway..." Kaede states, interrupting the interruptions. "Rantaro's body was found in the library, right?"

"Affirmative," Kiibo replies.

"Then we just need to determine who was in the library at his time of death, right?" Tenko asks nervously, eyes scanning everyone else's.

"Well it can't be me!" Miu shouts, placing her hands on the podium. "I was in the dinning hall with cosplay tits, maid bitch, and the pervert who gets stiffys over history shit!"

"I believe that last insult was directed at me," Kiyo brings a hand to his head, practically face palming.

 **TRUTH BULLET SHOT. --- > **"I agree with that!" You immediately cut in, wanting to help Miu like how she's been assisting you. "I remember when I talked to Shuichi and Kaede earlier, they informed me of everyone's alibis. It seems like everyone listed in that group had told them that they were with Miu in the dining hall."

"Fucking virgins, eat my dust!" She flips everyone off. Miu really is something... special. But, that's what makes her such an awesome friend!

"Awwwe how sweet. Baking girl wants to help clear her frwend. What a touching moment," Kokichi mocks you, rolling his eyes. "You should really focus on clearing yourself, suspect numbero uno!"

You feel yourself become frigid as all the eyes fall onto you suspiciously once more. "Yeah, you _were_ the first person at the library, (y/n). I remember, Me, Angie, and Tenko heard your scream so we went running right over. What gives?" Kaito questions, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, care to remind us of your alibi, (y/n)? I would like to clarify something," Shuichi adds, bringing a hand to his mouth, his eyes unreadable with his cap tilted.

You fold your arms, face red with anxiety and embarrassment. "Why do I have to s-say it again? I already told you guys at the crime scene."

"Well I don't remember hearing it," Himiko chimes in. "And I was casting my See All, Hear All spell during the _whole_ investigation."

Gonta claps with a smile. "Wow, Gonta is presence of a real mage!" 

"Atua tells me he senses someone is about to say something unwise," Angie chirps, giggling.

Ryoma glares over at Angie. "You got a ways to go kid. Relying on a god like that will do you no good."

"Weeeellll I dunno bout you guys, but now I am _preeettty_ interested in the suspect's alibi?" Kokichi turns to face you, pointing a finger to his chin. " _Where_ were you during the murder?"

 **TRUTH BULLET SHOT. --- > **Kokichi's eyes slightly narrow at you with intrigue. Should you stick with the story you told Shuichi and Kaede? Or try to tell the truth? Lying in a courtroom feels so wrong, however you don't really know what else to do.... _'Wait! Actually!...'_ You remember something important that might help clear your name without you having to lie. You don't wanna lie. Not yet, at least. "How do you guys even know _when_ Rantaro died?" You question your peers, watching as a few of them give you surprised expressions.

"What do you mean?" Maki raises an eyebrow at you.

You look around at everyone's faces. The suspicion seems to have settled down a bit, allowing you to feel confident. "I mean, the Monokuma file never states when Rantaro died. It only states his height, weight, chest size, where he was found, _and_ his fatal injury. Does no one else find that suspicious? Especially given that he clearly stated that any facts that will lead to a killer will be dropped from the files." You slightly smile, impressed with your own investigation work. 

Kokichi raises an eyebrow at you now. "Oh my god. The dumbass baker girl _actually_ brought up a good point. I am honestly so shocked right now."

"I plainly don't understand how that information can count as an alibi," Tsumugi intervenes, leaning idly on her podium.

"Are you trying to infer that not everyone's alibis are relevant given that we don't know the time of death?" Maki questions, her eyes glaring into your soul.

You dryly swallow, intimidated by her red eyes. "Y-Yes."

"Well, according to the alibis we collected, everyone was at least with another person at the time besides Kokichi, Kiibo, Ryoma, and you," Kaede states, receiving a nod from Shuichi.

"Yes. Kokichi, (Y/n), Kiibo, and Ryoma were in their rooms all night, according to their statements I heard from Shuichi and Kaede," Kirumi states.

 **'TRUTH' BULLET SHOT. --- > **You want to put this off longer if you can, however you can't let Kirumi's statement slide. It contradicts your own lie that you told the detective and piano girl. And you do not want the lie to deepen any farther than it has to. You shoot a side glance to Kokichi, wondering what he thinks about this mess he created for you. Like you predicted, he's smirking at you, leaning on the podium, chin resting in hands. His eyes seem to say 'You know you want to lie' No wait, they actually say 'You know you _need_ to lie, so do it.' Taking a couple short, deep breaths, you jump back into the conversation, gripping onto the podium tightly, anxiety in your veins. "No, that's wrong!" You blurt out, receiving a gasp from Kirumi.

"Is it? Then do tell us your alibi if my words contradict any truths of the case," Kirumi gives you an interested expression.

"Yeah, stop putting it off, this is becoming quite a paaain," Himiko sighs, crossing her arms, rolling her eyes.

You sigh. "I was in the bathroom, alone, on the first floor during the murder so there's no way I could have done it. I know I was alone in there but that's the truth." You fail to notice a surprised expression from Tsumugi.

"Truth, huh?" Kokichi smirks at you, before throwing his hands behind his head and stretching. "Sounds legit to me."

"Allow me to c-cut through your words," Shuichi timidly announces. "I'm sorry but, these er..pictures seem to tell a different story." Shuichi's face turns red as he pulls a set of envelopes out from his pockets. 

_'OH SHIT,'_ You think to yourself, panicking now. _'I FORGOT ABOUT THE PICTURES! They're all gonna see everything!'_ "O-Oh they do?"

"Oh yeah, the pictures!" Monophanie interrupts the trial. "I totally forgot I developed them hehehe! They were quite interesting to say the least. Who knew this school could be so lewd so early on!"

"The raunchy actions in these photos were enough to give me THREE ROCK HARD RAGERS!" Monokid laughs.

Montaro blushes? somehow. "Oh yes, Father was also surprised when we showed him the pics. They are really spicy."

"T H E Y. W E R E. U N H O L E S O M E. " Monodam finally comments, shuddering. 

"It's about damn time you speak up!" Monosuke responds in a mad tone.

"Shut up already!" Tenko yells at the bears.

"Yeah, none of us give a flying fuck about your shitty commentary!" Miu spits.

Kokichi snickers. "I do gotta say, I wonder what makes the pictures so... interesting." 

"Uh... here..." Shuichi empties the contents of the envelopes. 

"Let me help with that!" Monokuma adds, pressing a button. A monitor appears behind him and flashes on. You are horrified by the arrangement of photos you see. Why did he have to put it on the big screen?!

"Uh... thanks..." Shuichi comments, blushing. Everyone's faces are different shades of red as you all witness the embarrassing photos. "A-Anyway... Photos in the "A" group are the front door, Photos in the "B" group are the side door and er, photos in the "C" group are the secret passageway. All the cameras were set to go off based on motion. "

In the "A" group are five photos: You entering; Shuichi and Kaede running in; Kiyo, Miu, Gonta and Himiko running in; Maki, Tsumugi, Keebo, Ryoma, and Kokichi running in; and then Shuichi's face as he removes the camera.

In the "B" group are five photos: Rantaro walking in clutching a Monopad; You walking out; You screaming; You with Kaito, Tenko, and Angie behind you in terror; and then Shuichi removing the camera.

Finally, in the "C" group, there are six photos: Rantaro waiting with his arms crossed, three-fourths back profile to the camera; You and Rantaro kissing in the center; Your back to the camera as he has you against the wall, hand behind his back; Rantaro talking to you with his back to the camera and something in his hands behind his back that's out of the photo's range; Rantaro turning his head, facing the camera as if he notices something; and finally Shuichi removing the camera.

"(Y-Y/n)!" Tenko blurts out in a stutter.

"Well shit, I had no idea you were getting saucy in the library!" Miu beams, laughing, the only one not blushing.

"T-This is indecent!" Kirumi announces, a hand over her mouth.

"I-I-I" You stammer, unable to really find a good explanation that doesn't make you sound like a slut.

"I might have to delete this from my memory bank after the trial," Kiibo folds his arms, uncomfortably.

Miu perks up. "Actually Kiibo don't do that, I might have a good use for them."

"Miu! That's perverted!" You shout in protest.

"Like you're one to talk!" Himiko points at you.

"Woooow! Who knew that the cum dumpster's bestie was _also_ a cum dumpster?" Kokichi laughs, but you can see the blush on his face as well. _'Why was he blushing, he was there too?...'_

Shuichi clears his throat. "A-As you can see these... er photos, contradict your alibi."

"I'd say! She's g-gotta be the culprit!" Kaito stutters out. "She's the only one who lied about her alibi and wasn't with anyone at the time of the murder. Case solved." He smiles to himself as he puts his hands on his hips, cheeks still tinted red from the photos.

"Wait!" You yell.

"No more waiting, let's just vote and be through with this," Kirumi coldly states, glaring at you.

"How twisted to kiss someone and then murder them, (y/n), you're so cold," Kokichi comments, shooting you a frown.

"I said wait!"

"Truly a twisted soul, not worthy of anything," Kiyo comments, hugging himself.

Angie stays smiling, a look of confusion on her face. "Oh so she took a shotput ball from the warehouse and beckoned for Rantaro to meet her all just to murder him, yeah yeah?"

 **TRUTH BULLET SHOT. --- > **Amidst their ramblings, you frantically search the photos for something to help clear yourself. Finally, you realize something in one of the "C" photos. With all your might, you shout once more. "WAIT! That's wrong!"

"Oh?" Angie leans onto her podium, tilting her head. "How so?"

"Do you see the way he's standing in that one "C" photo?" You ask the room, pointing at the monitor.

"Yeah, his back is turned to the camera, so what?" Ryoma shrugs. "I don't see how that's relevant information."

"Shuichi! Remember the kitchen knife I found on his body?" Your eyes meet his with a desperate look. 

He peeks through his cap trim, eyes still unreadable. "Yes, now that you mention it, I remember that."

"Well doesn't that look like the handle of the knife in that picture?!" You slam your hands onto the podium. "Therefore Rantaro was planning to kill me."

You hear Kokichi mumble to you, "Yeah I tried telling you that already, you fucking idiot."

Without looking at him, you whisper back. "I knew you were still mad about that, but why? Why do you care so much?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah, I _would_."

"(Y/n)!" Kaito's voice brings your attention back to the courtroom and off of talking with Kokichi. "How do you know that's the handle of the knife and not just his Monopad? Both items are black. You could have just planted that knife on him when you went to search the body."

"I agree, the only possible choice of culprit is (y/n)," Kirumi adds. "She could have stolen the knife from the kitchen earlier in the day when she was baking muffins, ask Rantaro to meet with her, and then take him by surprise when he leasts expects it."

"That doesn't add up with the Monokuma file though," Kiibo intervenes. "Why would she carry a shotput ball _and_ a knife?"

"She could have stabbed him in one of his vitals, rubbed the shotput ball in the blood as a red herring weapon, and run to the bathroom upstairs to clean the knife." Kirumi smiles, proud of her thinking. "In that predicament it turns out that her alibi is a partial truth since it takes no longer than a minute to run to the dining room from the library. And don't even start suspecting me, I only know that from running to the library for the announcement."

 **TRUTH BULLET SHOT. --- > **That completely contradicts the Monokuma file, though, so you instantly shoot back. "I disagree with your statement! It says in the file that he was killed instantly and there are no other injuries!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was mistaken, please forgive my ignorance," Kirumi bows her head.

"It's okay, however I'm starting to think that I'm not too sure (y/n) could be the culprit," Kaede looks around at everyone, receiving a few gasps. "It's clear in these photos that she was absent from the room at the time, right?"

Everyone cranes their necks to look over the photos on the monitor once more. "Damn you two are _really_ going at it girl, good for you!" Miu comments as you let out an embarrassed sigh. "Even with the camera intervals, they still captured quite a ton of pics."

"Intervals?" Tenko questions.

"Uh, duh-doy! Shuichi said he needed the cameras to roll themselves so there's a forty-five second interval between each picture taken. I def remember telling him about it."

"So the fact that (y/n) was absent during these photos means nothing if she knew about the intervals," Maki suggests.

Angie giggles. "(Y/n) is very close with Miu, so of course she would also be in on the plan, right? Atua tells me that someone in on the plan is to blame for this casualty."

"I didn't tell Sugar Tits shit. In addition, I didn't even know where that pervert was gonna place the cameras. For all I know he was trying to snap a pic of Kaede's cooch."

"N-No I would never!" Shuichi crosses his arms, embarrassed. "L-Like we stated during the investigation, the cameras were to capture the mastermind as they enter the secret room."

"Y-Yes," Kaede agrees, both of them bright red.

"So only those three knew about the intervals?" Ryoma asks.

Kaede shakes her head. "No, only Shuichi and Miu know. I-I was never told," She raises an eyebrow at Shuichi.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be important," He states. You raise an eyebrow at him.

"All because there's intervals, how are you so sure that the killer used them? Hm?" Kokichi suddenly asks, confidently.

"As much as I hate to say it, Kokichi has a point," Maki grunts. "The intervals seem irrelevant given that the two possible suspects have airtight alibis."

Gonta raises his hand timidly. "Speaking of so called ali-bis, who was near the crime scene when this all happen? Gonta confused." 

"Kaito, Himiko, Angie, Tenko, Maki, (y/n), and you," Kaede replies, smiling at the giant. 

"How are you dickweeds still sure that (y/n) was down there? She didn't know about the intervals and wasn't captured for at least two minutes before the murder!" Miu gestures harshly with her hands.

"We still don't know the time of the murder," Kiibo states, pointing a finger in the air.

"Well lucky for you I am a gorgeous girl genius and can _confidently_ say that the murder took place less than forty-five seconds after the final photo in the "C" group was taken," She smiles smugly. "Furthermore, if Mr. Dick-tective over there has been making proper deductions, one can even add that it would be less than forty-five seconds before the second to last photo in "B" group where we see Sugar Tits having a mental break down over seeing her crush dead in the corner! How can someone have smarts, beauty, _and_ personality one may say? Well it doesn't matter because I have them all baby!"

"Miu... that's actually quite brilliant," Kirumi has a look of surprise on her face. "We can conclude from the last photo in the "C" group that (y/n) was not in the room during the murder."

Kaito rubs his chin. "So in other words, one can deduce that the murder occurred approximately two minutes before me, Angie, and Tenko found (y/n) in the hallway." 

"So someone else downstairs must have committed the murder then.. Were you all together the whole time?" Kiyo asks the astronaut.

Kaito scratches the back of his head once more. "Well kind of. We had left to head upstairs to survey the place once more before deciding on a plan to fight Monokuma."

"So Maki, Himiko, and Gonta are all still suspicious?" Ryoma tilts his beanie. "Interesting."

"Don't forget the sleeze balls who were apparently in their rooms," Miu eyes up Kokichi, Kiibo, and Ryoma. "I'm looking at you three chodes."

"Well me and Maki are safe because we were in the game room together the whooole time," Himiko smiles.

"She's correct, we were both sitting in there together."

"What about Gonta?" Kiyo questions, eyes narrowed at the sweet man.

Gonta raises his hands in defense. "It was not Gonta, Gonta promise. Gonta in A/V room watching bug movie."

"I agree with that!" Kaede smiles, pointing a figure up. "We checked the DVR and there was a bug movie in there."

"See, Gonta tell truth. Gentlemen never lie," He smiles.

"The weapon was a shotput ball though, isn't it plausible for someone to throw the ball at Rantaro from outside the room?" Kirumi raises an interesting perspective.

"Gonta couldn't have done it, the backdoor to the A/V room is jammed to stay slightly ajar, not wide enough for a ball to be thrown through," Shuichi intervenes.

"Yeah Gonta clear," Gonta nods. "Gonta would never murder anyone. Not gentlemenly."

"Okay well that leaves just (y/n) and the three without an alibi," Tenko crosses her arms. "My moneys on that one of those degenerate males did it!"

"Oh! Gonta remember something! Gonta recall hearing voices in hallway!" Gonta perks up. You and Kokichi exchange a quick look. His face remains nonchalant. Your face screams worry. "Gonta remember hearing Kokichi and (y/n) talking from door!"

Everyone stops what they are doing and looks between you two. "Is that true?" Kiibo asks.

 **'TRUTH' BULLET. ---- > **You have to shut this down quickly. You are already too deep into Kokichi's web of lies and although you hate it, you start to piece together why he did it. The fact that the two of you were _centimeters_ away from the room of the crime scene is majorly suspicious. You get it now: He's protecting both of you with the lies. It took until Gonta's statement for you to realize the danger of the truth. People could easily vote both of you, figuring you're accomplices. BAM! Everyone would die because you let the truth get out.

You don't know how he thought of it already. Perhaps he saw Gonta through the slit of the door before pulling you into the hallway? Nonetheless, you cannot allow the two of you to be suspicious, it will only push the case further away from the most important truth-- who killed Rantaro? _'Rantaro, that lying prick of an asshole who tried to kill me... who played with my heart!'_ Who killed him before you could ask his motive. Find out why he did what he did. Immediately, you lie. "That's wrong! Kokichi was definitely in his room! When I made my way to the bathroom and back, I saw no sign of Kokichi in the hallways. In addition, I opened the door to the library as soon as I returned, and then that's when Kaito and company ran over. Whether you choose to believe my statement or not is up to you but..." You meet eyes with Kokichi, he raises an eyebrow at you with a smirk. You can tell that he knows that you know why now. You feel... relieved to know he wasn't trying to screw you over. The question always remains with why though? Anyway, you finish your statement confidently. "That's the truth."

Shuichi looks between you and Kokichi for a moment before locking eyes with you, searching your eyes for an answer. You stare back at him, determined, receiving a nod from the detective. He gets it now too. "I believe... (y/n) is telling the truth. I don't think her or Kokichi did it."

"If Shuichi trusts her, I trust her," Kaede smiles at you.

"Gonta sorry, Gonta must've misheard, Gonta believe you," Gonta scratches the back of his head.

Maki glares at you. "I don't believe that alibi in the slightest, I think you are lying."

Tsumugi joins in, "Yeah, I don't remember seeing (y/n) when I went to the bathroom around the same time. It's plain suspicious if you ask me."

"I never believe males, however (y/n) seems to be truthful," Tenko jumps into a fighting stance. "I believe (y/n) is innocent!"

"Atua senses lies, so I disagree nyha!"

"I always trusts my friends," Kaito smiles at you.

"That seems like a too perfect scenario, I don't buy it," Kirumi comments.

Monokuma butts in. "PUHUHUHUhuhu! Sounds like we have a split opinion! Time to _shake_ things up a bit with our very on morphenomenonal trial grounds!" 

"The trial ground is gonna morph?! That's so fucking cool!!! I wanna totes see that!" Kokichi beams next to you, pure excitement in his eyes.

Kiibo looks at the bear, puzzled. "Wait what do you mea-aaaggah!" The podiums begin to rise up into the air, using some sort advanced technology you've never seen before. Gradually all of you fly higher and higher up.

"W-Whoa this is crazy!" You comment as you try to catch your balance, luckily not falling. The podiums all line up into two lines. Your side includes you, Kokichi, Shuichi, Kaede, Kaito, Tenko, Gonta, and Miu. Your podium hovers in the middle of the line with Kokichi on one side and Miu on the other. 

"Time to end this suspicion once and for all," Miu smiles at you with a thumbs up. "Us cum dumpsters gotta stick together."

"Don't adapt to using that nickname!" You retort as Kokichi laughs.

"Flying _and_ a show. Wow today is epic!" He leans on his podium, ready for action.

The other side has Maki, Tsumugi, Ryoma, Kirumi, Angie, Kiibo, Himiko and Kiyo. They look determined as well. "You are all wrong according to Atua," Angie sings.

"I cannot allow lies to flood this courtroom," Kirumi adds.

Himiko tilts her hat, "You guys are such a pain, just admit you're lying already."

"Alright kiddos, start your spicy debate!" Monokuma announces, raising his arms in the air. "Who's right? Are (y/n) and Kokichi suspicious or cleared?"

"I'll start," Tsumugi states, "I do not believe (y/n)'s statement. I had gone to the first floor bathroom moments before the murder announcement and did not see her there."

"I got this," Miu smiles, "Listen here you virgin, don't ya think it's possible that Sugar Tits left the bathroom a minute before you? With the way the hallway works, it's possible for your small brain to not notice her as she's leaving if the timing hits just right."

"That is only but a small possibility of many, we are still unclear about her whereabouts during the murder. If her and Kokichi were in the hallway as Gonta suggested, it's quite possible the two of them worked as accomplices in this murder," Kirumi calmly mentions.

Kokichi sighs, "I guess I got this.... How could I work as an accomplice to this murder if I wasn't anywhere near the vicinity? Kaito, Tenko, Angie, and (y/n) haven't mentioned seeing me once. Don't you think at least one of them would have saw me around in such a short time frame?"

You stare at Kokichi as he finishes his lie. His lie is told so well, that you're stunned. You never knew someone could lie with such ease. His power to bend the truth intrigues you just as much as it freaks you out. 

"Not if you hid in the library between the camera intervals," Kiibo shoots back.

Tenko steps up this time. "But we already determined that only Miu and Shuichi knew about them beforehand. How would Kokichi or (y/n) utilize the intervals without prior knowledge of them?"

"Ny-ha! Did you guys ever think that maybe she stabbed him and bolted? Like a stab and run!" Angie suggests happily.

"Gonta remember file says no other injuries," Gonta folds his arms.

"But we all agree that (y/n) is the one that brought the knife, correct?" Ryoma interjects.

"Actually, if you look closely at the photos, you can clearly see the handle of the knife in Rantaro's hand," Kaede puts her hands on her hips.

Himiko rubs her eyes. "What a pain. You are all forgetting that there is photographic evidence of (y/n) being the last one to see Rantaro. There is no other person who could have done it."

Shuichi speaks up. "Himiko, neither one of them could have done it. Based on the head wound and angle of the blood, it would have to be someone of average height or higher to deal a blow like that."

"Wait what?" You question, the whole room falling into confusion.

"Well that's fucking new," Miu crosses her arms. "You let (y/n) be suspected this whole time while sitting on that information you scum?!"

"W-Well no, I just thought of it now," Shuichi fidgets with the trim of his hat as the podiums start to lower back to the ground.

"What a plot twist! I did not see that one coming!" Monokuma bellows.

"This trial is really going in all KIIINDS OF DIRECTIONS WOOooOOOo!" Monokid strums his guitar loudly.

Monophanie giggles. "I knew that the baker was innocent, she's just too sweet."

"Hey smart ass, yous can't be cheering for any one student, that's cheap!" Monosuke barks.

"That's not in the rules!" Monotaro jumps into a fighting stance.

"Can you all shut the hell up?!" Kaito asks the bears. They all whine in protest as they be quiet. "Shuichi, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, if you look at the angle of the wound on Rantaro's head... no one under 5'5 could have wielded the shotput," He replies.

Miu rolls her eyes. "It's about fucking time, I kept telling you virgins that Sugar Slut was innocent!"

"Yeah, I kept saying that too!" Kokichi chimes in.

"No you weren't! You pushed for us to suspect her in the first place," Himiko points at him.

"Did I? I can't remember, I tell so many lies I forget, nyhehehe!" He smirks.

"Can't we just vote Kokichi? He's acting really suspicious...." Himiko glares at him.

"Did you _not_ just hear what Shuichi said. Doing that would be suicide," Maki rolls her eyes. "Then that leads us back to square one. Great."

You all sit around in silence for a moment, everyone trying to think about the case. Suddenly, you remember an important detail at the crime scene.

 **TRUTH BULLET. ---- > **_'Wait! I don't think the culprit was in the library but rather...'_ You face Shuichi. "Shuichi! There was blood trailing _downwards_ from the bookcase shelves. Do you think it's possible that the ball hit Rantaro from above rather than being thrown? Which would indicate that the culprit was actually not downstairs at the time at all, but rather using something like a vent or something to drop the ball onto him!"

He stares at you, eyes wide. Kaede is the next to speak. "But I blocked off the vent with books, and none of them were out of place when we investigated so that's impossible."

"Is it?" You ask. Suddenly you recall another key fact. Everything begins to start piecing together nicely.

You might just be able to save everyone after all with your mix of lies and truths....

_**~_~(TRIAL INTERMISSION)~_~** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think about the way I formatted the trial. I really like it personally, I hate how many fics do not show the trial parts cause I find it interesting to see how everyone interacts with everyone and everything but that's just me.
> 
> Anyways, any comments, questions, concerns? 
> 
> The trial will def finish next chapter along with the execution and after math, depending on my energy I might include the next morning as well which will bring in the flashback light and new rooms, but we'll see haha
> 
> (Fun fact this chapter took over eight hours to write, you're welcome lol)
> 
> ((Also, I have a super cute plan for ur development with Kokichi and I’m like really hyped! Be ready for mega fluff in the next chapter or two))


	7. A Deadly Dance of Truths and Lies: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial one comes to an end, you lose a friend, and the killing game officially kicks into gear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I deleted the author's note cause I hate when people leave those in cause it disrupts the story-- BUT I read every single comment and you guys are just so understanding and supportive and just AGH I love you all <3)
> 
> Oh and I'm on the fence about who I want Kokichi's Love Rival to be so I'm adding Kaito to the tags. Will it be Kaito or Shuichi to try and derail your relationship with Kokichi? Guess we'll find out together as the story progresses lmaoo
> 
> Without further ado, here is the next chapter : 3
> 
> (Also, while rereading last chapter, I found that it's really fun to listen to the V3 music while reading like omg playing Debate Scrum during the split opinion section was crazy to read. 10/10 highly reccommend)

\--------------------

**T R I A L * C O N T I N U E**

\--------------------

**TRUTH BULLETS:**

  * **Monokuma File** \---- _(Rantaro Amami: 5'10. 137lbs. C 32". Body found in library; Blunt force to head// Killed instantly; No other injuries_ )
  * **Shuichi and Kaede's Plan** - _(Set up modified cameras by Miu; Alarm on bookcase; Books stacked by vent; Hidden in classroom by basement stairs)_
  * **'Kokichi's Alibi'** \----( _In his room during murder)_
  * **Miu's Drone** \---- _(Aerial pictures of room)_
  * **(Y/n)'s Crush on Rantaro** \---- _(Obvious to everyone, even Rantaro?)_
  * **Kitchen Knife** \----( _Found on Rantaro's body; unused)_
  * **Blood Dripping on Bookcase**
  * **Bloody Shotput Ball**
  * **'(Y/n)'s Alibi'** \---- _(In 1st floor bathroom during murder.)_
  * **Everyone Else's Alibis** \---- _(Ryoma, and Kiibo were alone in their rooms; Kirumi, Miu, Kiyo, and Tsumugi in the dining room. Kaito, Angie, Maki, Gonta, Tenko, and Himiko in the game room.)_



**_\------------------_ **

It's all starting to make sense now! But, you have to check one important piece of evidence first before getting ahead of yourself. Honestly, you always found it strange that you don't recall anyone entering the library while you and Kokichi were in the hallway. Even if they used the front door, you or Kokichi would have saw someone come down from the stairs. Something just didn't add up. Of course, by now, you don't give a flying shit about revenging Rantaro-- it's quite obvious that if Kokichi didn't rescue you that you would have been the first victim instead-- however you and the rest of your friends are so close to figuring out the culprit. You really hope you're not wrong. Already Monokuma has made a fool of you today by displaying those personal pictures on the monitor, so you can't afford to embarrass yourself farther. 

"Wow (y/n) must be preeeetty stupid to think that." Kokichi muses, flashing you a smug grin. "How can anyone even use the vent if Kaede and Shuichi were in the classroom it connects to?"

You shoot Kokichi a confused look, you don't understand why he's making fun of you after he just helped clear your names. "What's your problem you troll?" Miu spits, crossing her arms. "What you have some sort of split personality or something?"

"Says the spineless boner garage of a person," Kokichi rolls his eyes, smiling at his hand.

"HEEEEeeee! B-Boner Garage?" Miu... moans?

"M-Miu?!" You question, turning to your other side to see her a blushing mess.

Tsumugi intervenes, an arm across her chest with the other one leaning on it. "Did Miu just reveal to us a kink she has?"

"Ew. Gross," Himiko turns down her hat, disgusted.

"Can we _please_ get back on track?" Kirumi questions, annoyed.

"Oh, uh yeah, right," You comment, returning your attention to the trial. Hopefully, you can just talk to Miu about her odd behavior later. 

"You said that you blocked _off_ the vent by stacking books in front of it, right Kaede?" Tenko leans on her podium anxiously.

Kaede nods, pointing a finger up. "Mmhm. And there was no evidence of it being tampered with before nor during the investigation."

"What if someone used the vent and just put it all back to how it was though? Isn't that possible? Atua affirms that the culprit did, indeed, enter the library," Angie clasps her hands together, tilting her head like a confused puppy.

"That seems highly unlikely given the narrowness and height of the bookcase," Ryoma readjusts the candy stick in his mouth.

 **TRUTH BULLET. ---- > **Shuichi stays quiet as you look to him for an addition to the conversation. He catches you staring and tilts his hat down a bit more. _'I wonder what he's noticed....'_ You begin to think. He seemed to start to get quiet once Kaede mentioned the books... _'Oh yeah! The important evidence!'_ You had almost forgotten to check what you needed to after being derailed by Kokichi's comment earlier. "Wait! The bookcase is high up, that's what I was trying to get at earli-"

"Wooow you really let us get sidetracked like that? You're totes not a team player and everyone thinks so too," Kokichi leans on his podium, giving you a 'serious' expression.

"Wha-What?" You stammer. A part of you realizes he's lying, but another part is just taken aback from his sudden rudeness. Your eyes meet his. His eyes give off an extreme, malicious intent. It doesn't make any sense. Why now? Why is he just being completely mean all the sudden?

"Just shut the hell up for a change you freak!" Kaito barks at him. "Or else I'm gonna shove my fist in your face!"

"Geez I was just... trying to help," Kokichi sniffles as he stands up straight, wiping away a 'tear'. Still watching him, you notice how he lightens his expression, smirking under his arm. You start to wonder if he is just insane or if there is some sort of strategy he's playing at for this trial.

Miu rolls her eyes. "Save us the fake waterworks you conniving ass dildo!" She pounds her fists onto her podium, shooting you a look. "Now what's the important piece of evidence you keep trying to talk about, Sugar Slut?!"

"Agh!" Her intensity catches you off guard as you swiftly switch your attention to her. "Actually, Miu, the evidence pertains to something you may have."

"Moi?" She asks, tilting her head. "The fuck you talking about?"

"The aerial photos!" You exclaim, raising an eyebrow, unsure of how she forgot that she took them.

Kiyo readjusts his mask, again. "Aerial photos you say? Perhaps (y/n) is onto something-- perceiving the library from a different perspective may provide us with a huge clue, unraveling this mystery of a case," He repositions his arms into an opened position. "Ah, the beauty that comes with the morality of humanity never ceases to amaze me. Who in this room has morals skewed so uniquely from common society that they resulted to murdering our dear friend? The answer comes neigh as so does the excitement of uncovering why the culprit has acted as they did under a roof where normal societal rules do not apply!"

"You shut up too!" Kaito brings up his fist once more, face carrying a bit of dread.

You don't blame him-- Kiyo kind of creeps you out when he talks like that as well. It feels almost occultish and it makes you uneasy. Nonetheless, you continue the conversation forward. "Miu, do you happen to have the pics on you?"

"What kind of a lame ass, virgin question is that, Sugar Slut? Of course I fucking do! BooYah!" She whips out a pile of photos from her bra and sets them on her podium, grinning greatly. "Mooonokuma! Quit playing with yourself and do that monitor thing!"

"Do the what?" Monokuma questions, a paw to his chin.

"We have no idea what you are referring to," Monotaro chimes in with a shrug.

Everyone looks around at each other with puzzling expressions. "What the fuck? You know what she's talking about!" You point at the bear, face flustered. "Like how you did with t-the other pictures you pervert!"

"Oh those other pictures were OOOOoOOOooooOOOOhHHHHhHH SOOOoooOOOooOOO spiiiiicy!" Monokid announces, strumming his electric guitar.

Tenko hugs herself as she looks off to Himiko. "At least some people were noticed by their objects of admiration..."

Kirumi comments with a red face. "Why are we back onto such an inappropriate topic?"

"Short Cake _really_ likes attention like this, huh? To always be bringing it up?" Kokichi smirks at you.

"Why are you being such an asshole to (y/n)?!" Kaito yells at him, face red from remembering the pictures as well.

The room erupts into discourse as everyone begins shouting over each other. It's confusing with so many voices running at once. You can barely concentrate as you start to feel a faint whiplash from trying to zone into all the conversations at once. Miu ends up hitting her podium hard while in a heated argument with Kokichi and Kaito, spilling the photos all over the room. Again, your gaze ends up falling onto the silent detective, who honestly looks paler than normal, as one of the photos slides gracefully onto his podium stand. Shuichi's hands shake as he holds the photo, and tilts down his hat completely, not making eye contact with anyone. _'He must know!'_ You start to believe, and almost immediately you bring your attention back to the chaos, which dissipates as Shuichi's shy voice cuts through the room. "G-Guys. So uh, (y/n) is definitely onto something."

They all cease conversation. You raise an eyebrow. "Really? That's awesome! Maybe I should have been the Ultimate Detective!" You giggle, allowing your investigation powers to go straight to your head.

"If you..." Shuichi pauses, making eye contact with Kaede. The whole room waits in anticipation as her positive demeanor drops a bit as she nods. Shuichi dryly swallows before continuing. "If you look at this picture, you can see that the books are lined up in a way which would directly hit Rantaro if someone were to roll the shotput ball into the vent...."

"That's some good investigative work Shuichi.... I know I can always count on you," Kaede smiles weakly at him.

"Wait, that means that the culprit really _wasn't_ in the basement at the time of the crime!" Tenko announces.

"So if everyone in the basement is safe, that means that it would have to be someone upstairs," Ryoma rubs his chin, looking around at everyone.

"Doesn't matter.... I already know who it is..." Shuichi grips the sides of his podium, a tear falling onto it.

You watch in despair as the tears continue to fall at a moderate pace. Instantly you lose your smile from giggling earlier as you feel your heart creep up into your throat. Who could it be? Who could have really started this terrible killing game? "W-Who is it then?" You stammer, trying not to let yourself become emotional as well. What if it was actually Kokichi? What if it was pure boy Gonta? What if it wa-

"Kaede... You're the culprit aren't you?" Shuichi almost chokes on his words as he slowly brings his gaze to meet hers. He shuts his eyes tight as tears stream down his face, only to open them after wiping his face with his sleeve. His eyes look determined now. 

"N-No way, you gotta be... kidding me..." You take a step back on the podium in disbelief. Kaede? Really? The brightest symbol of hope here is the one that did something so... gruesome? You don't know why, but your immediate reaction is to search Kokichi's face for a reaction. Your eyes shoot to him as you see a twisted smile across his face. This only makes you more nauseous. 

"What a very not boring outcome. Who knew that the only person holding this team of losers together was actually so cold and heartless? Then again, being a symbol of hope was probably Kaede's lie, wasn't it?" His voice is full of malice as the tone stays cold, heartless. Perhaps he really is an evil supreme leader. Only someone with a heart of darkness could really enjoy hearing that Kaede, of all people, was the culprit.

"There's no way I'll believe that!" Tenko rebuttals, a few tears escaping her eyes as she slams down on her podium.

"Yeah, hell no! I think the culprit is Kokichi! That lying sack of shit has done nothing but been rude and unhelpful this entire trial!" Kaito punches his fist into his other hand. "I will always believe in Kaede until the end! There's no way it's her, I won't accept that outcome!"

Shuichi gasps at the sudden determination in everyone. "Huh?"

"I bet if we just run over the events once more, a more believable culprit will come to mind. Right?" Himiko questions, a cold sweat beading down her forehead.

 **TRUTH BULLET. ---- > **Once again, everyone erupts into a chaotic debate. They all begin to talk at once, arguing about the new information Shuichi released. You squeeze your eyes hard as you cross your arms across your chest, hugging yourself. A few tears of your own slide down your cheeks. _'This can't be! It's impossible! There's no way it's Kaede! It's...'_ Opening your eyes, a small rush of tears fly down your face. They stop after a moment as you stare between Kaede and Shuichi. Another important piece of evidence comes to mind and immediately you realize that Shuichi is right. She's the only one who could have done it.... You have to help him show everyone that truth before you all vote wrong and are executed! However, everyone's being so loud and it's too difficult for you to focus. You unravel your arms and hold your hands to your head, overwhelmed by the intensity of the situation. Again, you shut your eyes, and then you remember Miu's inspirational words...

_"What, you're gonna let all of our lives rest in just Shuichi's sticky hands? How will you rebuttal those assholes if you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about?"_

"I do know what the fuck I'm talking about..." You mumble to yourself, shaking your head, and opening your eyes with confidence. You only paid extra attention because Miu reminded you that you have to help find the culprit, to clear your name, to save everyone... and that's what you're going to do! With newfound confidence, you take a breath, and take in all the conversations happening around you, trying to figure out the best way to introduce the final evidence to help end this trial once and for all:

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

-~-~-~- M A S S * P A N I C * D E B A T E ~-~-~-~

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

 **Kokichi:** We already cleared my name, dumbass! 

**Kaito:** Well then why you acting like a fucking piece of shit?! Huh?! 

**Kokichi:** Because that's how the game is played; Trust no one. 

**Miu:** Trust has nothing to do with being a checkered ass tumor! 

**Kaito:** I'm gonna beat your ass, Kokichi! 

{}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}.

 **Kirumi:** I do not find it possible for Kaede to be the culprit.

 **Angie:** Atua tells me that your perspective is false.

 **Kirumi:** Well looking at it from a logical mindset, it's impossible.

 **Kirumi:** Shuichi and Kaede were together the whole time, right?

 **Angie:** Maybe they were accomplices and Shuichi sold her out, yeah?

{}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}. {}.

 **Kaede:** Pffft. Shuichi is just joking around, why would I do anything like that? 

**Kiyo:** Some people murder for reasons others can't comprehend. 

**Tenko:** Quit being creepy! She's not some degenerate male like you, Kiyo. 

**Kaede:**... 

**Tenko:** Yeah don't even respond to that creepo, Kaede! 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Kirumi! You're wrong!" You shout as loud as you can. Everyone in the trial room stops what they're doing and looks at you. You've gotten used to the feeling of fifteen eyes staring at you suspiciously by this point and you shake off the awkward feeling of having the floor. Taking a breath, studying everyone's curiosity, you continue. "Kaede and Shuichi were together the whole time until the sensor went off. If I recall correctly, when Shuichi and Kaede shared their plan with us back in the library, Shuichi sprinted out of the room first, giving Kaede more than enough time to roll the shotput ball into the vent before joining him."

"Is this true?" Kirumi turns to Shuichi, who's eyes are already red from tearing up so much.

He doesn't respond, but instead adverts his attention. Shuichi must be too taken aback by this insane truth, that's got to be it. You can't help but feel sad as well. Shuichi and Kaede have practically been joined by the hip since day one, they are like best friend goals.... Having to hear that your best friend murdered someone has got to be heartbreaking. Especially if you could have prevented it... You peek a side glance at Miu, eyes starting to well even more with tears. Of course, she's only been close to you for about a day, but if you learned this about her-- your _best friend_ in this place-- you don't know how you would be able to continue. Shuichi is so strong before revealing the truth but still... could you ever do that if Miu was found guilty? Honestly... you don't know...

Little do you know, while you're looking at Miu, a checkered scarf prick is glancing at you in the same, dreadful manner. You would never know this, however, because not even a second later, Kaede answers for Shuichi, stealing everyone's attention once more. "Yes, it's... true."

"K-Kaede?!" Shuichi asks, eyes wide, tears falling down his face.

"It's okay really, I prepared myself for this... I-I swear it's fine," She smiles at him, tears pricking at her eyes now.

"W-What? Kaede culprit?" Gonta gasps.

She nods her head. "I wanted you guys to figure it out on your own so... so you can all f-find enough hope to move forward..." Kaede begins to cry lightly, tear after tear splashing onto her podium. "I was hoping that... perhaps I could snuff out the mastermind during the trial but... it seems I failed..."

"K-Kaede!" Shuichi breaks into a sob. "I think I w-was wrong, there i-is no mastermind...."

You try to stop yourself from crying as well, but you can't. In fact, everyone in the courtroom is crying-- even Kokichi. You all can't help it. It's surreal. It's cruel. It's something that you can never really prepare for... Kaede emits a soft chuckle. "Yeah, you're probably right Shuichi... you've become s-so reliable."

"K-Kaede, there's no way... N-No way!" Tenko starts balling her eyes out. 

Kaede softly chuckles again before giving Shuichi a supportive smile. "Shuichi... can you please sum up the events so everyone is convinced? I feel like... I've already done enough damage today..."

He nods. Step by step Shuichi describes the crime that Kaede committed, not missing any important key factors or evidence. As he continues to tell it, the room grows more silent, only interrupted with soft sobs, sniffles, and sighs. It all adds up too nicely. The story makes sense and all of the puzzle pieces come together. You wanted to save everyone, of course, but why does saving everyone hurt so bad? The end of the trial was supposed to be the good part, right? Then again, nothing good can come out of a forced killing game led by robotic bears. In the end, Shuichi finalizes the facts, with one final tear running down his face. Everyone stares, stunned, surprised...

Before Kaede can respond, or anyone else for that matter, Monokuma interrupts the despairing moment. "Before you kids start getting emotional, hows about we start the voting time! Wouldn't want you all changing your minds after some tedious heartfelt speech or some other nonsense!"

"B-But wai-" Shuichi is about to protest, but Kaede cuts him off. 

"N-No it's okay Shuichi. Just please make sure you pass my wish forward for me... I want everyone to escape together, kay?" 

"K-Kaede..."

"Tiiiimee for voting time! Who do _you_ think the blackened is? Will you make the _right_ choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?! And before you get any ideas, abstaining from voting ends in death, so don't be waiting out the timer!"

Monitors emerge out from the podiums with some sort of futuristic-esq technology, and it shows little pictures of each of you. Sixteen students glow back at you, Rantaro being an exception as his picture is 'X'ed out and faded. As you hesitantly push the arrow buttons, you discover that each picture comes with the student's full name and Ultimate. Curiously, you hover the cursor over yourself, watching a yearbook-type photo of yourself blow up along with the words 'Ultimate Confectioner'. In the picture you are wearing the exact same pink and black outfit you are currently wearing. Fear crawls up your spine as you recognize it as your school photo from picture day. _'H-How did they get ahold of this...'_ You stand, shocked, not even realizing the timer quickly counting down. Instead of voting, your mind races to all the possibilities that they could have obtained this photo. And what about other personal information? What about your bakery? Your family? What else do they know?! Your head swims with nonstop, horrible thoughts about who could be controlling Monokuma and what they can be capable of.

BZZT. A hand taking your hand and forcing you to press the vote button causes you to return to reality. "H-Huh?" You gasp, hand still pressed to the monitor.

"Nyhehehe! Looks like I made you vote for yourself, how clumsy of me," Kokichi chuckles, not moving his hand. You were so consumed with your thoughts that you didn't sense Kokichi's presence right behind you. He leans down slightly, lips near your ear, as he still holds your hand in place. Chess boy whispers to you. "You're welcome..." Before quickly releasing your hand, throwing his hands behind his head, and hopping off your podium to return to his.

You stand there, confused for a moment. For some reason, the motion of Kokichi reaching past you, so close to you, feels somewhat familiar, as if you and him had a similar encounter in the past. But that doesn't make sense, you just met him no more than three days ago. Your hand stays on the monitor as you try to register what just occurred. A time stamp '00:00:05' stays frozen on the screen. _'We were being timed?'_ You stare at the timestamp, wondering what would have happened had it reached zero. _'Death. Death would have happened...'_ You recall, bleakly. Kokichi, has, once again, saved your life. But why? Why does he care about what you do or your well-being so much? You glance at him once more-- he doesn't look at you at all, he's too busy minding his own business for once-- and you just stand there, dumbfounded.

-

Tear after tear streams down your face as you stare up at the now black monitor screen. That was gruesome...so vivid... too real... Kaede was executed right in front of your eyes. Monokuma and his cubs left right after the execution, leaving your class in a deep despair. Everyone's hope was ripped away from them as you all watched her be hung and crushed in the worst way imaginable. _'There's no way this is real life, right? There's no way.... There's no way.... There's no way there's no way there's no way there'snowaythere'snowaythere'snowaythere'snow-'_

A hand rests softly on your shoulder. "Come on girl, Kaede wouldn't want us to cry for too long, ya know?" 

With puffy eyes and bleared vision, you bring your face up to see Miu behind you. She smiles weakly at you as she sniffles. "B-But we just s-sa-"

"You didn't see shit, okay!" Miu removes her hand from your shoulder and crossed her arms. "Look here slut, if we break down now t-then that fucking stuffed bear wins!" 

Sniffling and wiping your eyes with your sleeve, you give Miu a small nod. "Y-You're right..." You wipe your eyes some more, finally ceasing your tears. "We can't let them win. W-We will survive this... right?"

Miu rolls her eyes at you. "Of course we'll fucking survive this, who the fuck do you think I am, Sugar Slut?" She gives you a glare as she raises a determined fist, and you giggle. When you giggle, she lets a small smile surface on her lips. 

Your friendship moment, however, is ruined by the newfound, rising drama in the trial room. Kokichi's loud and obnoxious voice interrupts your conversation as it booms throughout the room. "One less player in this game means a greater chance at winning!"

"What the hell dude, do you just not have a heart?! One of our friends just got executed! Show some freaking respect!" Kaito runs up to the shaggy haired boy, holding up a fist. "I'm so sick of your bullshit!"

"I'm just telling it as it is," Kokichi smirks at Kaito, bringing a finger to his chin.

"Why you littl-"

"Just ignore him. He's just a sick, twisted psycho," Maki spits, arms folded, glare deadly.

Kokichi crosses his arms as well, not dropping his twisted smile. "Wow, I gotta say, that glare is most certainly not fitting for the _Ultimate Child Caregiver_. I wonder..." 

"Watch it..." She growls.

"J-Just go away you degenerate male scum! No one wants you here!" Tenko yells at him.

"K-Kaede..." Shuichi has been staring at the monitor this whole time, and his murmur cuts through the tension.

"You good bro?" Kaito questions the detective.

Shuichi does not answer as his knees buckle from under him and he falls to the ground, crying. Everyone rushes over to him, including yourself, making sure he's okay. This has got to be the toughest on him. Kaito, Tenko, and Kiibo kneel down around him while the rest of you stand around, worried and sad expressions filling your faces. Amidst everyone crowding around Shuichi for support, Kokichi yawns loudly. "I'm so bored now. Why are you all even bothering with him? You know the only way to _truly_ enjoy this game is t-"

"Just leave. As you can see no one here is interested in your bullshit, you shit head!" Miu spits at him, hands on hips. 

"Yeah, you're all alone and it will stay that way if you keep acting like this. So do us all a favor and leave us alone. You're such a pain," Himiko adds, rolling her eyes.

"Pfft, whateves, I was gonna leave anyway," Kokichi with a nonchalant expression walks over to the elevators. Before he leaves, he turns to face everyone one last time. "Just remember: I'm not the reason you're all in this mess." With that, the elevator shuts and Kokichi is gone.

You find yourself taking a few steps away from crowd around Shuichi as you stare at the elevator in thought. _'What's his deal?'_ You ask yourself, grabbing your arm with your hand. Kokichi lies so much that you can't decipher what his true emotions are right now. He must be somewhat sad about Kaede, right? Or the fact that everyone hates him? Or the fact that he's all alone?.... Shaking your head, your legs seem to subconsciously bring you over to the elevator. It makes you feel bad that he's all alone, that nobody wants him around. No one should have to feel like that-- even Kokichi. Plus, he's not completely evil, he's saved your life about four times by now, no person of malice would do acts of kindness like that, right? You have to know why. Why does he do the things he does? Say the things he says? Is Kokichi really a supreme leader of evil, or is he playing a game of chess within this killing game? You need to know, now. No more riddles or puzzles or lies....

Before you know it, the elevator opens up in front of you, revealing the peaceful nighttime in the shrine. Quickly, you find yourself rushing out of that area. A fast walk gradually transforming into a jog, which morphs into a sprint. You're desperate. You need to know. "K-Kokichi!" You call to the purple haired boy as he's reaching the stairs that lead to the upper portion of the court yard.

Kokichi's hands are in his pockets as he faces the stairs, back to you. "The fuck do you want, Short Cake?" He questions, still not turning around.

You stop, a few feet behind him, out of breath. "I... want to know... what your deal is..." Running is certainly not your strong suit as it takes you a moment to catch your breath from such a short sprint. Perhaps maybe you shouldn't have spent all your life eating and making sweets.

Kokichi sighs as he takes one of his hands out of his pocket, looking at it. "You ran to catch up to me just to ask me that? I'm the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil, duh. So I'm mean. Get used to it." Kokichi starts to continue walking up the stairs as he shoves his hand back into his pocket. His words are cold and empty, but it doesn't seem right. That's not the answer you want.

Instinctively, you take a few swift steps forward and grab onto the cloth of his jacket, lightly gripping it. "Wait. That's not what I meant."

"Huh?" Kokichi finally cranes his neck so he can face you. Instead of a look of surprise, he raises an eyebrow at you with a small smile. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting answers," You state, confidently. Your eyes lock with his violet eyes as you still hold onto the soft fabric of his coat. 

"But I just told you why. It's because I-"

"No. You're not evil. That's a lie and I know it." Kokichi's eyes widen at your statement as you release him. "Plus that's not what I want answers for." Finally, he turns his body to face you, pulling his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms. 

"Oh yeah? And how would you know? You're just some weird baker girl, how could you _possibly_ know when I'm lying or not?"

"Because your actions don't match up with your words..." You glance up at him with desperate eyes.

His violet eyes search yours for a moment as he lets out a chuckle. "Same as always, huh?"

"Huh" Taking a step back, you raise an eyebrow at his odd statement.

"Forget it," Kokichi rolls his eyes as he brings his hands to behind his head, smirking. 

You shake your head. "Anyway, I need to know, in the trial it seemed like you had it out for me and I guess I just want to know... why did you save me?"

"Why do you _think_ I saved you? What fun would it be if I told you right away?" He muses, stretching his ankles as he momentarily goes onto his tiptoes.

"Enough with the puzzles, just tell the truth for once!" You're starting to get fed up with him as he drops his smirk.

"Fine, simple enough, I'll be straight with you," Kokichi stretches his arms before bringing them back to his pockets. "You're not boring; Simple as that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I didn't get a chance to use one of the truth bullets. However, I actually find that pretty exciting though because now you guys will never know which bullets in the future will be used or not haha
> 
> Also Kaede's execution is the exact same as the game, so I skipped it (sorry) so I could jump right into the after math haha
> 
> Questions, Comments, Concerns?
> 
> Next chapter will be big fluff for sure. Kokichi is opening up to you, expect there to be some spicy scenes in the near future : )
> 
> ((update:lol sorry I lied, I'm adding SO MUCH more into next chapter than I expected sooo expect it by tonight 2/28. Also, I'll uncover an actual update sched next update in the notes so stay tuned for that! This series is getting a ton of love, comments, kudos, bookmarks, I feel its def time for an official update sched! : D ))


	8. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You become closer with Kokichi and new rooms are introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here you will see reader will begin to undergo her character development. I can't wait to start this haha. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy : )
> 
> (Did not proof read!)

"I'm not.. boring?" You raise an eyebrow at him as he smirks back at you.

Kokichi winks as he spins on his heels, back facing you once more. "Yup. That's _all_ there is to it. You don't bore me so I need you around." Hands still sitting in his pockets, Kokichi begins to make his way up the staircase.

 _'He keeps saving my life all because I'm not boring? Can that really be all... There's gotta be another reason, right?'_ You stand there, once again dumbfounded by the Chess Boy, trying your best to unravel whatever thoughts the supreme leader could be thinking. That can't be all... right? There's gotta be more. Another reason! That's not a satisfying answer!

"H-Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" You begin to rush up the stairs as Kokichi reaches the top, still back facing you.

As you catch up to the purple haired boy, you are once again out of breath. He peeks over at you, still walking, but at a slower pace. "Woooow, you really don't like to give up, huh, Short Cake?"

You walk next to him now, "Why.. are you like this?" You question between breaths, lightly clenching your hands into fists out of annoyance. 

"It's all circles for you," He rolls his eyes as he takes a few steps ahead of you, stops walking, and faces you. You stop walking, crossing your arms as you watch him, eyes slightly narrowed. " 'Why are you like this?' 'Why do you act like that?' 'Why?' 'Why?'... Tell me, (y/n), you keep asking me why _I_ care, but have you ever considered why _you_ care so much?"

Your eyes widen at that statement as Kokichi smirks at you. He brings a hand out of his pocket and points it to his chin as he shifts his weight in his feet. Kokichi raises an eyebrow as he awaits your answer, bringing both of his hands behind his back as he holds them together, stretching his ankles. As he does this, he leans a little towards you, looming over you with intrigue. You feel yourself blush as you're taken by surprise by his question. "I-I... I uh..." You seem to not have a proper response for Kokichi. He's right.. Why do you care so much? It just feels natural to care about his opinion, to care about what Kokichi is thinking but honestly you don't know why. 

"Hmm? What? Cat got your tongue? You can't answer your _own_ question? That's okay, unlike you I'm not obsessed about what other people think of me. Especially those I _like_ ," He grins at you innocently, hands still behind his back as he takes a big step towards you, leaning, his face inches from yours. 

Your face goes beet red as your eyes meet. He's so close you can faintly smell the cologne on him as a slight breeze passes between you. It's quite a sophisticated scent despite his childish demeanor, which makes sense granted he's a leader. However, his sudden closeness makes your heart jump. Is this the real reason why you care about what he thinks? Do you just have a crush on him-- is that it? That would explain the butterflies gradually filling your stomach but the question 'why' still remains. Why would you fall for a twisted, lying, manipulative asshole like Kokichi Oma...? ' _Why? Why? Why? Why? Wh- '_

"If I'd know any better, I think you _liiiike_ me, Short Cake," Kokichi muses, leaning down his body towards you, face inches from yours, a smirk plastered on his smug face. 

Your face heats up even more as you lean back. Yes, Kokichi is pretty attractive, despite his odd wardrobe and tendency to be annoying, but you feel like there's another reason why you care about what he thinks. Almost as if.. in a past life you two were something like best friends of sorts? _'Friends...?'_ You wonder, and then suddenly your heart feels as if it just flipped. The strange feeling crawls up into your throat, lightly choking you as you almost have the answer on the tip of your tongue. _'Kokichi and I are friends?'_ Something about that statement brings forth a strong feeling of nostalgia and comfort, but you can't figure out why for the life of you! It's so frustrating you almost want to scream! But, before you can dive deeper into those vague emotions more, Kokichi interrupts your thoughts.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Short Cake? Hm?" Kokichi asks in an almost quiet voice, still looming over you.

Your face must have shown how frustrated you are, and you cross your arms, narrowing your eyes. "S-Shut up! I just wanna be friends with you, that's all!" A pout overtakes your features as your eyes meet. 

Kokichi tilts his head slightly, like a puppy, and holds an innocent, questioning expression. "Oh is that all? Are you _sure_ that's all?" 

"Yes! Geez! You're so annoying sometimes!" You practically shout, clenching your fists in annoyance. Your face isn't in a mad expression though, but more of a playfully annoyed one. This interaction has been everything you needed to take your mind off the gruesome day you had. So much stress. So much anxiety. So much death...

A moment of silence follows your statement as you two stare at each other. You let out a sigh, allowing a small frown to form on your lips as you remember the day you had. Kokichi's eyes look you up and down as his face stays unreadable, showing no emotions at all. You both sit in silence as the trees gradually sway in the background. It stays like this for a minute, until suddenly Kokichi sighs. He takes a step back quickly as he bounces on his heels, flashing you a huge grin. "Okay! I'll be your friend! Nyhehe! Just know what you're getting yourself into, Short Cake. I _am_ the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil after all. Not everyone will be too keen on being friends with a loser like you who hangs around an awesome guy like me!"

"L-Loser?!" You ask as your face returns to a bright red hue. Not expecting him to accept your friendship _and_ insult you all in one go, you raise an eyebrow at him, bringing your hands to your hips. "At least I have a sense of fashion. Only losers would wear a weird jacket like that."

A slight smile creeps it's way to your lips as Kokichi gives you an over-the-top response to your insult. "How dare you insult the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil?! Y-You ask to be my f-friend and then insult me like that... Y-Y-YOU'RE SO MEAAAAAN!" Tears begin to stream down Kokichi's face as he rubs his eyes with his hands.

As he rubs his eyes, you see him opening one eye slightly, a small smile on his lips. He's over reacting for your benefit, and this causes you to giggle. "Knock it off you Cry Baby. Keep that up and I'll tell everyone you're a huge baby," You laugh, giving him a slight, friendly push.

" _Woooow_ , who knew the Ultimate Confectioner could be so sour? I'm sooo shocked," Kokichi instantly ceases his crying as he laces his hands back, behind his head. "Then again, even I could have seen that coming. I don't think you're the sweet girl you think you are, Short Cake."

What could he mean by that? Of course you're sweet and friendly-- you're one of the nicest people you know-- was he trying to say you're actually mean? Or, perhaps does Kokichi mean something deeper than that... Tilting your head in confusion at his last statement, you aren't given enough time to react. Your conversation with Kokichi is brought to an end as Miu enters the courtyard. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Were you two just railing each other out here? In the open?!"

"And here comes the other cum dumpster, right on time," Kokichi snidely greets her, chuckling.

You spin on your heels to face the busty inventor, blushing. For some reason you feel embarrassed that you were caught hanging out with Kokichi, alone. Especially thinking about what she said, you begin to wonder if maybe you do have a big crush on him. "M-Miu!" You stammer as she moans in response to his comment.

"C-Cum Dumpster!~" She balls her hands into fists as she lightly pumps them up.

"You really are a low life, perverted piece of dog shit, huh Miu?" Kokichi teases with a nonchalant expression.

"S-Shut up!" She blushes, yelling back at him. "Anyway..." Miu clears her throat, throwing her hands onto her hips confidently. "You better not've been fucking with my best friend you checkered midget!"

"You're best friend? But Short Cake is _my_ best friend. Isn't that right, Short Cake?" Kokichi looks to you with a pout as Miu also looks to you but with narrowed eyes. 

"In your fucking dreams!" She argues. "Tell him, Sugar Slut!"

"Uhh..." You did not expect to find yourself in a situation like this-- ever-- especially between two of the most insane people you have ever met. Your eyes dart back and forth between Miu's piercing blue glare and Kokichi's big, sad violet eyes. "Uhhh...." Of course, while you were attempting to understand why Kokichi acted as he did and overall trying to comprehend why you wanted to befriend him, you totally forgot that Miu and Kokichi hate each other. You're just so great at picking friends, huh? Thankfully, you didn't have to come up with an answer as Kaito enters the picture, his booming voice cutting through the tension.

"Hey, you two should leave (y/n) alone, geez! Have you guys no sympathy? She was almost murdered today, give the girl a break!" He barks, pounding a fist into his other hand. "It pisses me off when people are so rude!"

"HHHEEeeee!" Miu screams, running away to her lab very girlishly. "I'm so sorry!" She shouts as she sprints into her lab, disappearing for the rest of the night.

"K-Kaito?" You raise an eyebrow, an embarrassed smile surfacing your face. You feel bad that he scared off Miu like that, she was only trying to help.

"And you!" He faces Kokichi now who gasps. 

"Oopsie, gotta run!" Before Kaito can say anything else, Kokichi runs extremely fast towards the dorms, entering the huge dorm building with a loud slam of the door as he disappears inside.

You giggle as you realize Kokichi's reaction is a lie. You're not entirely sure how you know that, but his reaction pokes at a deep memory that you can't seem to reach. As if you recall someone like him faking a scared, escape like that before. It was kind of cute... _'Shit, I might have a crush on Kokichi...'_

Kaito's big hand rests on your shoulder as he smiles down at you. "I hope they didn't bother you too much."

"Oh uh, thanks Kaito," You nervously smile up at him. You are too tired to explain that they weren't bothering you, really, but you understand that Kaito's heart is in the right place. 

"Of course, no problem! Nothing that Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, can't fix! Except maybe like, Global Warming, I don't think I can fix that..." Kaito nervously scratches the back of his head with a chuckle. You giggle in response as he smiles dumbly at you, his lavender eyes beaming with positivity. "Just don't let today get ya down, okay? Shuichi and I will ensure that everyone escapes here together, just like Kaede wished."

A hint of sadness fills his eyes as his words beam with determination. You nod in response, your smile wavering into a determined one. Kaito gives you a pat on your shoulder before shoving his hands into his pockets. With a light blush, he offers to walk you back to the dorms so no one else can bother you tonight. With a smile, you accept his offer, and the two of you discuss space stuff along the way. It's refreshing to talk to someone with a relaxed demeanor, and all negative thoughts about the day are washed away as you talk with Kaito. 

As soon as you enter your dorm room, you lock your door and plop onto your bed. Thoughts of your new, official friendship with Kokichi bombard your mind. Again, the idea of you two being friends sends knots into your stomach and throat as if there's something your mind is forgetting. Like when you lose a sock and you could have sworn you took it out of the dryer with the other one. Or when you misplace your phone and can't place your finger on where it could have gone. _'Kokichi is... my friend...'_ Is your last thought before you drift in an exhausting, long sleep.

-

"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE!" The annoying voices of the Monokubz simultaneously shouting wakes you up, and you quickly sit up in bed.

"Huh?" You rub your eyes as you focus your vision on the monitor playing the morning announcement.

"G-O-O-D. M-O R-N-I-N-G." Monodam states robotically. 

"Due to the untimely death of Monokid, we wi-"

You block out their voices as you yawn, searching around your room with your eyes. _'Oh yeah... I'm still here at the Ultimate Academy...'_ You think to yourself, scratching the back of your head. It's only been three nights and four days since you and the sixteen other Ultimates were kidnapped and forced to play this awful game. _'Well... fifth-teen now...'_ The monitor clicks off in your peripheral vision, leaving the room to now be silent. You recall the events of last night: Almost being murdered by Rantaro, the trial, Kaede's execution, following Kokichi outside. _'...Kokichi'._

You were glad that you decided to run out to him to get answers. He's actually not a bad guy-- despite the fact that he wants everyone else to see him that way. You can tell that he has good intentions, at least you _hope_ he has good intentions. He did save your life a few times and went out of his way to try and make you smile last night. Then again, so did Kaito. You can't help but remember Kaito's cute blush when he offered to walk you to your room. Could Kaito have been flirting with you? The idea that Kaito might have been flirting causes you to blush as you slide out of bed and stretch. Of course, you haven't forgotten about the Rantaro incident, but something tells you that you have nothing to fear from Kaito and Kokichi. Then again, they both could be killers like Rantaro...

DING!

The sound of your doorbell breaks you out of your thoughts and brings you back to reality.

DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!

Your heart almost stops as you stand in your room, wearing your same attire from last night, watching the door. Honestly, you kind of spooked yourself out a bit by thinking about all the possibilities of Kaito and Kokichi potentially wanting to kill you like Rantaro. _'Oh no,'_ Taking a deep breath, you slowly approach the door.

DING DING DING DING DIN-

WHOOSH. You fling open your door, squeezing your eyes shut. "Agh! Please don't kill me!" Jumping into a defensive position, you shake in fear.

"The fuck?" Miu raises an eyebrow, hands on her hips.

"Miu?" Hesitantly, you unravel yourself from your defensive position. A pink dust appears on your cheeks as you feel embarrassed.

She bellows a hardy laugh at you. "You're such a fucking scaredy cat! Bwhahaha! What? Who the fuck would be dumb enough to kill someone in the dorms? You gotta chill the fuck out, Sugar Slut."

"S-Sorry," Stammering, you scratch the back of your head nervously. "I had a rough day yesterday, g-give me a break... What do you want anyway?"

"Uh, Duh-Doy, breakfast!" Miu rolls her eyes at you as her eyes scan your appearance. "Yet again, I see you don't give two flying fucks about your hair!" Again, Miu laughs at you as you widen your eyes.

"I just woke up!"

"You just woke up? For reals?" Miu stops laughing as she crosses her arms.

"Yeah? What's wrong with that?" You stretch your arms as Miu follows you into your room. Standing in front of your mirror, you grab the nearby brush and brush out your hair.

Miu checks herself out, fixing her top. "I dunno, I guessed 'cause of yesterday I assumed you'd be an early riser like me."

Readjusting the strawberry beret in your hair, you begin to fix up the rest of your outfit. "I normally am, but being here just makes me want to lie in bed, ya know. Especially given the situation..."

You frown as you stare at yourself in the mirror. How could you be casually getting ready for the day when you saw two people die yesterday? You _are_ in a killing game after all. You could very well be next. Or Miu could. Or Kokichi or Kaito or Kiibo o-

"Pfft. If I learned one thing in life, it's that you gotta make the most of it, Sugar Slut," while looking at both of you in the mirror, Miu walks behind you and places a hand on either of your shoulders. Her voice drops half her normal volume as she stares at you, seriously, through the mirror. "This situation isn't ideal. I mean... I really want to get back into the world and invent a shit ton of things... but if we let those thoughts get to us, then the fucking bears win!" Miu lets go of your shoulders as her hands find their way to her hips. "And I, Miu Iruma, gorgeous girl genius, dosn't lose! Neither do my friends either! So quit being a sad bitch and perk up your tits! I'm starving!"

You find your wrist being gripped tightly by your new best friend as she runs, dragging you out of the room. You trip over your legs, trying to keep up with her. You can't help but have a stupid grin on your face as the two of you run through the dormitory, towards the exit. Both of you laugh as you leave the dorms. This was exactly what you needed to remind yourself about Kaede's wish. Not only does she want you all to survive the game, but she wants you all to live too, and that includes more than just survival. This includes being happy and enjoying life to its fullest-- You can't let the fucking bears win!

-

"The fuck are these shits?" Miu barks, picking up a scroll with old scripts on it off the dinning table. She inspects in closely as she brings her other hand to her chin.

"Our prizes from Atua for living another, glorious day!" Angie chirps, clasping her hands together.

"Yes, Atua has been so kind," Himiko adds, holding her hands shyly together in front of her.

"H-Himiko?! You too?!" Tenko shouts, receiving a sigh from the magical girl.

You and Miu had entered the dinning room way later than everyone else. They were all eating some dishes prepped by Kirumi while investigating these strange items on the table. You were not expecting such an unusual morning, but then again, perhaps unusual is the new normal for you. For instance: Watching four robot bears in mourning sprint past you as you both entered the dinning room did not phase you at all. "Actually, the Monokubz gifted us these prizes. I have no idea why though," Shuichi comments, sitting at the table, hands folded.

"Oh Shuichi, your hat!" You just noticed that instead of wearing his typical cap, his dark hair was free with a cute antenna jutting out from the base. "You look so different without it." You blush a little-- you didn't expect him to look so adorable without his hat on. It's like he's a new Shuichi.

"Uh.. thanks," Shuichi makes eye contact with you and smiles.

This feels like the first time you've ever actually seen his greenish-grey eyes or a genuine smile for that matter. It was heart warming. "Soooo, what are we gonna do with this hot mess?" Kokichi questions as he comes up from behind you and leans over your shoulder. "Oh, and I guess what are we gonna do with the prizes as well?"

"Hey, wait a second..." You crane your neck to look at the Chess Boy as he smiles innocently, still leaning on your shoulder.

Before you can insult him back, Kiibo intervenes. "According to my memory banks, I recall a set of scrolls like this one around the corner of the first floor near the gym. Perhaps the objects relate to different areas of the school? For whatever reason, I am unsure of though."

"Oh my gawd!" Kokichi yells in your ear, causing you to snake out from under him, glaring at him. "Kiibo _actually_ used his robot functions for something useful guys!"

"Did you have to yell in my ear?!" You cringe as you rub your ear. Already, you regret wanting to be his friend.

"That does seem like a reasonable deduction.. Thank you Kiibo," Shuichi stands up, grabbing the scroll.

"Well, that settles it! Shuichi! Let's take this scroll and see what happens!" Kaito enthusiastically walks over to Shuichi, giving him a thumbs up.

Shuichi nods before returning his attention to the rest of you. "I believe if we break into groups of three to properly investigate, we can find out what each object does. Let's meet back here by noon to compare our findings."

Speaking with a newfound confidence, Shuichi leaves with Kaito and Ryoma to investigate. Four objects remain on the table as the rest of you exchange interested glances. "Ok, uhh... what do we do now?" Tenko raises her hand timidly, unsure of the group's next step. 

You stare at the collection of items: A blue gear, a red sphere, an ocarina, and a rolling pin. They are very... random. "Well I think I _know_ which hole this bad boy slides into!" Miu cackles, swiping the blue gear off the table.

"Why did you have to make such a dirty comment out of it?" Kirumi folds her arms, sighing.

Miu ignores Kirumi's comment as she approaches Kiibo, oddly seductively. "Ya know, I think I could give you some more, _useful_ functions in my lab." 

"I am having trouble comprehending y-your sudden change in topic," Kiibo starts to break into a blush and cold sweat as Miu closes in on him.

"Come on _big_ boy, come investigate with me~" Miu grab's the poor robot's wrist and yanks him over to the back door. "Sugar Slut! Be our third!"

You were watching the scene unfold awkwardly, and you jump back at the sudden mention of your seemingly permanent nickname. "M-Me?"

"No, the _other_ sugar slut," She barks, one hand on her hip and the other bonded to Kiibo's wrist.

"I-I don't und-" Kiibo rarely gets to finish his sentence before she cuts him off.

"Come on!"

"I would love to, but..." You shift your attention onto the rest of the items, your eyes locking onto the rolling pin. "I kind of wanna see what the rolling pin is for," You refocus your attention onto Miu, who rolls her eyes. "Sorry girl."

"Pfft, whatever, you're loss," Miu quickly scans the room as she glares, upset that you didn't want to tag along. "You! Come with us!"

"Me?" Kirumi questions, a little annoyed in her response. "Is that a request?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Miu starts heading for the door, a confused Kiibo seeming to want to be anywhere but here. 

"Okay then," Kirumi sighs, walking over to Miu.

"Catch you virgins at noon!" Miu laughs insanely as she drags two of the most quiet people away with her on her intriguing quest.

"And then there were three objects left! What an exciting turn of events, Nyhehe!" Kokichi throws his hands behind his head as he smiles. "Who will choose what?! I'm on the edge of my _seat_ in anticipation!"

"Shut up," Himiko commands, receiving a small chuckle from Kokichi.

You hate to admit it, but you find yourself giggling as well. Kokichi treating the junk as a game show is actually quite entertaining. "The great and powerful Atua says... Himiko and I should take the ocarina! Nyha!" Angie giggles as she stands up and takes hold of the small instrument.

"Pfft, what do you think that could even _be_ for? Some sort of secret passageway or something?" Kokichi asks you in a genuine, friendly tone you've never heard him use before. Turning to face him, you can see that's he's not being over dramatic or rude in his comment at all, but he's just making light conversation... Weird. 

"Haha, maybe," You lightly chuckle in response, recalling a videogame series that uses an ocarina in such a way. You decide to take advantage of Kokichi wanting to make genuine conversation, it's rare. "Perhaps Atua is their fairy guide," You remark, Kokichi chuckling in return. 

The two of you are so caught up in your conversation, the only thing that breaks it is hearing Tenko scream, "Himiko wait for me!" As she rushes out the door after them.

Kiyo clears his throat and everyone turns to watch him. "Well, I suppose I'll investigate the red sphere given that I have no interest in the rolling pin," With leisure, Kiyo pushes himself out of his chair and walks over to the table, grabbing the sphere. "Only one can imagine what beauty such a gorgeous piece of art can bring to the world. What mysteries it beholds and what secrets it will unravel!" Kiyo hugs the sphere to his chest as you all stare at him, uncomfortable.

"I plainly cannot see that guy being plain alone with such a delicately plain object," Tsumugi states.

"Ah, so you will join me on this intriguing quest then, Tsumugi? How brave and helpful. Such... glorious traits," Kyio smiles with his eyes at Tsumugi who looks plain uncomfortable to be alone with him.

"Gonta will tag along too. Gonta sense sphere will be useful!" Gonta chimes in, smiling brightly.

"It's decided then, me, Tsumugi, and Gonta will uncover this truth. We will be back here by noon," Kyio announces, leaving the room with them.

That just leaves you, Kokichi, and Maki with the rolling pin. "Saaay, looks like we're in a group together with boring old Maki. The _Ultimate Child Caregiver_." 

"I refuse to take part in this. It's all part of the game. Us participating will only bring forth more death," Maki stands up from the dinning table with a hard glare. You dryly swallow as she stares daggers at the two of you. You feel extremely intimidated by her. "I will be leaving."

Maki starts to make her way to the exit. Honestly, you don't care if she stays or leaves, she's too scary for you. Kokichi, on the other hand, edges her on. You cross your arms, worriedly gripping your jacket sleeves as you observe. "Shuichi will be _mighty_ suspicious of you if you don't stay with us," Kokichi smirks, pointing a finger to his chin.

"I don't care," Maki flips her hair, and disappears out the door.

"Wow, cold blow," Kokichi shoots you a pouting expression as you shake your head at him.

"Why do you edge people on like that?" You ask, picking up the rolling pin, feeling it up and inspecting it for anything interesting.

"Because it's entertaining. I hate it when things get boring, ya know," Kokichi shrugs as he begins to pace around the dinning room. 

"Well," You sigh, hitting the rolling pin into your hand, "I guess it's just you and me then, huh? Let's figure out where this thing go-"

"Oh, it goes in the kitchen," Kokichi nonchalantly replies as you were about to head for the exit.

"Huh?" You freeze, spinning on your heels to face the purple haired boy.

"The rolling pin goes right there, up on the wall," Kokichi points through the small window between the dinning room and kitchen, to the back wall of the kitchen where there are two rolling pins lined up with one missing in the center. They look identical to the one you're holding. 

"H-How did you know that?" You raise an eyebrow at him while all he does is smirk.

"I have my ways," Kokichi winks at you as he takes a few steps over to you.

You're both in the dinning room, alone. You feel your heart flutter as he walks up to you, standing right in front of you. Your face goes red and your thoughts go dirty. _'What if he edged on Maki to leave so he could get me alone? What if he actually has a thing for me? I know I joked about it before but what i-'_

"Nyhehe! Come on! Lets see what the rolling pin does before I get bored!" With the grin of a child, Kokichi grabs your hand and drags you into the kitchen area. 

You feel yourself releasing a surprised gasp as you're once again, forced today, to catch up with someone as they drag you. His hand feels really soft and warm in yours, and you can't help but let a smile surface. It feels natural. Comforting. Nostalgic? You shake your head as these strange emotions surface once more. Luckily, Kokichi brings you to the pins in no time, and you're able to brush aside those strange thoughts. "So, I guess I just.." You take the rolling pin into both hands as you untangle your hand from his. Hesitantly, you hold up the pin, and look to Kokichi for his opinion. Kokichi clasps his hands into fists and hold them up, stars in his eyes, waiting for you to place the pin. Taking a deep breath, you place the pin onto the wall.

The area around the pins shake profusely and subconsciously both you and Kokichi take a step back. As the wall begins to shake more and more, Kokichi takes a mild step in front of you, holding out a protective arm. You both brace for impact, expecting the wall to explode or something when suddenly...

Nothing happens to that extent. The area around the rolling pins crumbles to the ground, revealing a black door with a pink heart on it. You and Kokichi relax your stances as you exchange curious glances. As if you are in sync, you both exclaim at the same time, "Cooool!" Stars sparkle in both of your eyes as you are both excited to discover a secret passage.

"Well, shall we?! Come on!" And with that Kokichi throws open the mysterious door.

-

-

-

// An excerpt of a different version of how I was going to make this chapter. Ultimately, I changed my mind, but I thought you guys might like this bonus content lol//

-

-

"Hmm? What? Cat got your tongue? You can't answer your own question? That's okay, unlike you I'm not obsessed about what other people think of me. Especially those I like," He grins at you innocently, hands still behind his back as he takes a big step towards you, leaning, his face inches from yours. 

Your face goes beet red as your eyes meet. He's so close you can faintly smell the cologne on him as a slight breeze passes between you. It's quite a sophisticated scent despite his childish demeanor, which makes sense granted he's a leader. However, his sudden closeness makes your heart jump. Is this the real reason why you care about what he thinks? Do you just have a crush on him-- is that it? That would explain the butterflies gradually filling your stomach but the question 'why' still remains. Why would you fall for a twisted, lying, manipulative asshole like Kokichi Oma...? 'Why? Why? Why? Why? Wh- '

"Ah, well, whatever the reason be, you should just stay away from me... It's dangerous. I'm evil and you should hate me like everyone else. I am the supreme leader of an evil organization after all..." Kokichi's face changes into a serious expression. His eyes are narrowed, focused entirely on yours. Lips curled into a small frown. Nothing about his expression screams 'it's a lie' or 'I'm joking'. He's being serious and genuine for once. Exactly what you wanted. But why, why then do you feel dread. Sad. Frustrated.

Again, he starts to turn to face away from you. You start to think maybe he doesn't want the conversation to last any longer because the others might come out soon. If they see you conversing with him, they might hate you too. You don't care though. Maybe you do have a crush on him. Maybe you're just vulnerable after seeing two people you care about die today. Maybe you're just lying to yourself. You don't know, but you don't wanna be alone right now. And again there's just something so familiar about being with him. It feels natural to talk to him. Nostalgic even. Without thinking too much you reach out and grab his hand. It feels warm to the touch. Soft. Comforting. You don't know why but you begin to feel your eyes tear up. "I wanna be your friend though!" You announce in almost a shout. "Without you I... I would have died today..." Images of the knife you discovered on Rantaro's body flood your mind again. A tear slides down your cheek. "I know you're not evil so stop saying that!" You drop your head as you yell out that last line, crying now.

Kokichi stays, facing away from you, allowing you to grip onto his hand. It's silent for a moment. Then, a chuckle escapes Kokichi's lips as his face stares off at the school in the distance. "Ya know, you make it reaaally hard for me to plan things," He states with a huff. "Then again you arrre as stubborn as me if I remember correctly so I gueeesss I can be your friend." You're taken by surprise as he pulls away his hand from you, lacing his hands behind his head. You crane your neck up at him, barely making out his shape through blurred eyes. Your hand feels cold and empty now. "You gotta chill out with this crying stuff thought because I don't like being friends with babies, Short Cake. I know you're not typically a crier so knock it off before I get everyone to start calling you Cry Baby."

Kokichi's statement makes you giggle a little through your tears as you wipe your eyes with your sleeve. He rolls his eyes at you, but you can tell it's playful. "S-Shut up! Says the guy who c-cried during the trial!" You chuckle as you sniffle, choking on your words. It takes a moment for you to stop crying, but you finally do, wiping away the rest of your tears with a small smile on your face.

"Yeah but I was lyyying, your tears are real. You need to learn to lie better, Short Cake, you're almost like an open book." Kokichi smirks at you as his eyes wander above you, looking towards the shrine. He rolls his eyes.

"W-What is it?" You ask, still sniffling, your eyes following where his are looking.

"Looks like the peanut gallery finally decided to leave," He comments, stretching his arms. Kokichi's violet eyes meet your again as you turn your body to face him once more. "You don't want them all suspecting you again, right? So then..." Kokichi grabs your hand this time as he starts dragging you along with him towards the dorms. "Let's come up with some epic pranks in your room!" Once again you feel the warmth and comfort of Kokichi's hand in yours. But this time, he's holding onto you. It feels... safe.

"Wh-What?" You ask, tripping on your feet, struggling to keep up with him. Kokichi pushes the door open to the dorms and you guys enter. He leads you up the girl's side stairs, towards your dorm room. His sudden switch into his typical, child-like behavior throws you off guard. Once again, he's unreadable, but it's no longer impossible to tell what he's thinking. It seems you and Kokichi have grown a little closer today, and you can't help but smile a little to yourself. "A prank" You raise an eyebrow, letting a small giggle escape your lips.

"Yeah. What? You don't like pranks?" He questions innocently as he lets go of your hand in front of your room. Kokichi tilts his head like a puppy as he looks up at you with curious eyes.

You have never really been much of a prankster, that you can recall at least, but the thought of coming up with pranks with Kokichi sounds exciting. It feels like deja vu in a way-- as if you two have planned countless pranks in the past. The words that leave your lips next don't feel like you. You're a sweet baker who's friendly to everyone. You're shy and like to bring people smiles with your sweets. You couldn't hurt a fly or insult anyone in a bullying way, ever. You're always honest and have a heart of gold... Yet these next words feel more like you then you remember having felt your entire life: "Of course I like pranks. Who do you think I am?"

Kokichi smirks back at you as he pulls your room key out of his pocket. "Let's wreak some havoc then! Nyhehehe!" Kokichi bends over to unlock your door. Wait a second...

"Wait! Kokichi! Y-You have my key?!"

"I told you not to lose it, that's your fault. Now come on," Kokichi pushes you into your own room and shuts the door behind you two. <br />  
////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but why do I write this like an anime tho? LMAO
> 
> Questions? Comments? Concerns?
> 
> I hope you guys liked the bonus content lol
> 
> Anyway, next chapter your Ultimate Lab will be revealed along with what else is opened, first memory, and some filler. The next few chapter after next will be cutesy filler chapters with Kokichi, Miu, Kaito, Shuichi, etc etc. I am planning the next murder though, so expect all of that to be the calm before the storm haha
> 
> Also, here is an official update sched:  
> -_-_-_-_-_-  
> *Definitely by Sunday nights, 2am-3am eastern time (I'm such a night owl)  
> -  
> *If time permits between home work and life, also on Wednesday nights, 2am-3am eastern time  
> -_-_-_-_-_-  
> ((in addition I might change my username so don't freak out if it suddenly changes soon))


	9. Queen of Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get your first memory, but something is off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys for all the love! I'm feeling a ton better! It was def some bad mac and cheese lol
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like this! I actually completely changed how I wanted memories to go soooo I hope it's captivating lol
> 
> (tried to include a typed layout of the lab in the chapter but it just looked like a MESS on the phone so I scratched it, big sad haha)

"Whoa! This is uh, well I mean it's not boring," Kokichi has his arms behind his head next to you, eyes observing the new room.

"This is must be..." You stand in the doorway, holding your hands to your heart. "My Ultimate lab!"

This room is basically your dream sweets workshop! Pink and black checkered tile covers the floor as the walls have a cute white wallpaper with various pink and black hearts on them. There's a wall lined with various aprons with different sex puns on them along with a huge island counter that has more than enough room for you to make whatever your heart desires! There's a new, state of the art oven along with a brand new stove, huge fridge, and all the cabinet space you could ask for. There's posters of your favorite shows and manga hung around the walls, also including a huge section for all the cooking utensils you will ever need-- some that you've even wanted to use before but never had enough money to buy them! In addition to all the materials you could ever want, there are two fluffy, bean bag chairs in the room: a pink one in the left corner and a black one in the right-- each with a tiny shelf of manga and recipe books behind them. Whoever put this room together knows that you love company while working on your sweets, and strangely knows all your favorite stuff too... and your color scheme.... and what recipes you prefer....?

But who cares! This is your dream workshop! Why bother with something so silly as to how they know you that well? Right? "I think I'm in heaven..." You murmur, gaze captivated by the beautiful scenery in front of you.

"Gotta say, I love the checkered vibe though. Other than that, this place is totes a bit too childish for my taste. What are you, five?" Kokichi struts into the room and starts randomly looking through the things casually.

"Oh shut up, as if _you_ have the right to talk about that kinda stuff," You huff, crossing your arms as your eyes excitingly scan the place some more. You find your feet taking you over to the fridge. Without hesitation, you fling it open, revealing an array of fresh ingredients. "Oh my Atua! I can't wait to use these..." Practically drooling with anticipation while you eye up the ingredients, you realize that there's nothing bad or evil in the fridge. It's all just normal things. _'I thought maybe Monokuma would have put like a dead body in here or something...'_ You sigh internally, relieved that the fridge is full of normal foods.

Meanwhile, Kokichi grazes a hand along all the aprons. "Kiss my thick cake...? Batter than sex? Queen of cream?" " Kokichi reads with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at you. "I didn't realize you were so perverted, Short Cake," He comments, winking one of his violet eyes at you.

You furrow your brows as your face turns red. So what? You like sex puns, that doesn't mean you're a pervert! "S-Shut up!" You yell, shutting the fridge, glaring at him. "I think they're funny, okay... B-Besides! I didn't pick them out so whoever decorated the room is the pervert!" 

"This explains why you get along so well with that whorelet, Miu! I never thought you'd be such a dirty slut like her though. Honestly, I'm _so_ shocked," Kokichi pulls his hand away from the aprons and brings it dramatically to his heart as he shoots you a surprised expression.

"You don't need to be here ya know, go bother someone else!" His insults are ruining your excitement now. You just wished sometimes he could just keep his thoughts to himself. _'Unless he's lying but honestly, I'm too excited about this room to wonder what Chess Boy is thinking.'_ After that thought, all that runs through your head is you deciding what you will make for your new friends first! _'Eclairs? Melon candies? Chocolate fudge? OH! Homemade ice cream? The possibilities are endless with this room!'_

"You asked me to be here, remember?" Kokichi points a finger to his chin as he tilts his head in confusion, like a puppy.

His voice breaks through your thoughts, and suddenly you're the one with a surprised expression. "No I didn't! D-Did I?" Honestly, you don't really remember much of the morning already. So much has happened since Miu rung your door bell, so you very well could have asked him to join you.

"Yesss.. you did! And I won't be leaving your side because you told me you can't _bear_ to check out the room alone," He flashes you a huge grin as he dips his hands into his pockets.

Instantly you drop your confused expression and roll your eyes. A small smile surfaces on your lips. He got you good that time. "Ha ha ha, very funny. You almost had me there, Kokichi," You giggle, stretching your arms, facing away from him.

"Dang, you caught me. I lied," He sighs playfully as you hear him flopping down into the pink fluffy bean bag chair. "Ugh, all this lying is making me sooo tired though... Hey! Short Cake! Make me some sweets, I'm _huuungry_!" Kokichi wastes no time commanding you to bake him sweets.

Who does he think he is? You glare daggers at him while he gives you a sad pout, crossing his arms. Coincidentally, you _do_ really want to bake something in this new lab though. So, you roll your eyes once more, approaching the aprons, fixing up your hair so it won't get in your way. "I'm not doing this because you asked me, but because I really want to make something right now.. Got it?" 

"I already know you just can't resist me so whatever you want to believe works with me, Short Cake~" Kokichi casually states, looking at his hand in a cold manner. 

You grab one of the aprons blindly, tying it around your waist. "W-What?! That's _so_ not true!"

"I'm preeeetty sure you're obsessed with me though, riiiight?" Kokichi smirks, looking past his hand at you.

"Obviously not! In your dreams, you purple asshat!" You cross your arms as you scoff, turning to head to the island. Your face is completely red as you feel embarrassed. Of course, you might have a tiny crush on the jerk, but you're not obsessed with him! It's not like you're just some girl who's been following him around for years because you're in love with him-- you just met him and he has the audacity to assume that?! What a cocky bastard...

"Oh by the way, you should wear the black apron, it looks cooler. Just saying," With a cheeky grin, Kokichi acts as if he didn't just push all your buttons a moment ago. He reaches behind the bean bag chair and picks out a manga. Nonchalantly, he sinks into the fuzzy bean bag and begins to read quietly to himself. His eyes glued to the page.

"Pfft as if I'll change my apron because he said so..." You stop in your tracks, contrary to your mumbling. Gently, you crane your neck to look at the aprons. The black one has a silver crown on the front of it, reading 'Queen of cream'. ' _Of course he would pick out that one...'_ You look down at the one you're wearing and it's white with a peach on it saying 'Thick cakes'. He's right-- the black one _does_ look cooler-- but the last thing you wanna do is give that checkered jerk anymore satisfaction! So, despite how cool it looks, you end up returning to the island, wearing the same white apron, and preparing to make a sweet treat. Little do you know, but the whole time while you're cooking up a snack, Kokichi isn't actually reading the manga, but watching you work, with a sparkle of intrigue in his bright, violet eyes.

-

"Wow, (y/n), these are _amazing!_ " Tenko compliments you with a huge smile.

"Thanks! It's my own recipe," You smile back, hands behind your back.

Before you guys knew it, noon came around, and everyone began filing into the dinning room to discuss their findings. You and Kokichi had left the door to your lab open, and the rush of blacks, pinks, and whites caught everyone's attention from the dinning room-- well that and the sweet scent of the mini cupcakes you were making. Like the muffins before, you decided to make a variety of mini cupcakes, and you knocked them out just in time for everyone to meet up. The first group back was Shuichi, Kaito, and Ryoma, all of who walked into your new lab hesitantly at first, unsure of what to expect. You can't really blame them; Kokichi reading the Ultra Despair Girls manga while sitting on a fluffy pink bean bag would make anyone hesitant to approach.

However, Kaito greeted you warmly after he discovered you were also inside and he basically decided that he 'wanted to learn how an Ultimate Confectioner icings cupcakes', resulting in him helping out while you frosted them with your homemade recipe. You don't know why, but being that close to Kaito while you worked on the mini cupcakes made your heart jump a bit, and before you realized it, you were blushing like crazy. Gently, you had placed the piping bag in between his big, clumsy hands, and held your small hands over his. Lightly griping Kaito's hands, you guided them with the proper pressure and motions to perfectly frost a cupcake. He emitted a small 'oooooh, I seee' in amazement as he watched the substance take a shape of a beautiful rose on the cupcake. 

Curious to see his facial expression, you craned your neck a little, making eye contact with Kaito's positive, lavender eyes. The two of you shared a smile-- and you're pretty sure he was blushing a little too-- before suddenly....

SQUISH! "AGH!"

A pair of hands wrapped around yours which were around Kaito's and squeezed tightly, putting too much pressure on the bag, causing icing to drown the precious rose, turning it into nothing more than a pile of mixed sugar and butter. "Nyhehe! I just wanted to be included! Sorrry," Kokichi's head popped up in between you and Kaito as he faces you, a cheeky grin on his face.

"K-Kokichi!" You dropped your hold on the piping bag, instinctively pushing the purple haired asshole. "L-Look what you did!" Glaring at him, you gestured to the mess that is the poor, drowned cupcake. Your eyes stayed on the mess as you realized the shape that the icing took looked like a huge frowny face. It was kind of funny.

"You're such a brat!" Kaito scolded, holding up a fist at him. "Look, you made (y/n) ups-"

A giggle escaped your lips as you still gestured to the cupcake. "Pfft, l-look at the poor, sad, cupcake," You tried really hard to keep a serious face, but as you returned your gaze to Kokichi, his chuckling expression did not help. "What did.. the cupcake ever do to.. you?" You managed to ask in between giggles. "Just look at his sad face!"

"Oh yeah, wait, that _does_ really look like a sad face though. What?!" Kokichi leaned over your shoulder even though he could see the mess just fine, and pointed at it. "It kind of looks like how Shuichi did with his emo hat."

Kaito scratched the back of his head, confusion written all over his face. "(Y/n), did you like suffer a stroke or something? You're generally laughing at this asshole's jokes and pranks? Really?"

You hadn't realized that your giggling evolved into a laugh when Kokichi said that. Kaito's statement caused you to clasp a hand over your mouth, ceasing your laughter. "Wait, yeah, Kokichi that's... pfft that's mean," You broke into yet another giggle. _'What's happening? This isn't like me? I hate it when I mess up my decorating and I never would make fun of someone like Shuichi who just went through what he did...'_ You shake your head, trying to get your thoughts together. You hate pranks... then why was that so funny though? You just don't get it...

Anyway, during this fiasco is when Tenko's party joined the room, and her and Himiko helped you and Kaito decorate the rest of the cupcakes. By the time the other three parties returned, everything was done and ready to be served. One by one everyone took a cupcake and showered you with compliments. It felt great to have the fifteen of you all getting along. Everyone lounged around your lab, brought together with your delicious cupcakes, and began discussing what they discovered.

That would bring you to the present moment. Miu has taken the floor, one of the cupcakes in her hand. "Listen up you losers! I want to say what I, the beautiful girl genius, Miu Iruma, discovered today!" She shoves the whole mini cupcake into her mouth, continuing to talk with her mouth full. "Turms out thwat the bluem gear allmowed us to mopen Kiimbo's Ultimimate Lab! Bwhahaha!" As she laughs, crumbs spew everywhere. You kind of cringe a little at your friend, but you don't say anything. 

Kokichi is the one to talk first. "Wooow! Hows about you try telling us what you found without getting your gross ass crumbs and saliva all over us?" He rolls his eyes and he taunts her, sitting back in the pink bean bag chair.

Miu, who's standing in the middle of the room, turns red. "S-Shut up you cock sucking grape midget!"

"Oh sorry, what'd you say? I don't speak dumb fuck," Kokichi looks at his hand, smirking at Miu.

"Enough of this tom foolery, this is getting us nowhere," Kirumi intervenes, crossing her arms. 

"Miu started it," Kokichi sticks his tongue out at her.

"Not uh! You did!"

"Nooo, you did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Did n-"

Miu's cut off by Kirumi once more. "Just shut up, please!"

"This is an important investigation, remember we _are_ in the midst of a killing game..." Ryoma adds, tilting his hat. He murmurs to himself, "Not like I want to survive it though..."

"Anyway..." Kirumi glares from Miu to Kokichi, receiving scared expressions from both parties. You raise an eyebrow at Kokichi as you notice he's faking his expression. _'I'm getting better at reading him,'_ You think to yourself, proud of your improvement.

"Isn't she scary?" Kaito whispers to you, nudging you with his arm.

"Oh yeah for sure, I know I would never want to get on her bad side," You whisper back, both of you too scared to fully interrupt the surprisingly threatening maid. 

Kirumi sighs. "We were able to discover nothing too new in the Ultimate Robot's lab, but we can say that it's next to Miu's lab and like Miu's lab, it holds an array of different machine parts and tools."

"Affirmative. In all honesty, my lab's a little boring," Kiibo let's out an awkward laugh-- or at least a calculation of how one would sound-- as he folds his arms.

"Oh I know it definitely got my motor running~" Miu winks at the robot, Kiibo blushing lightly in return.

 _'Wait... can robots blush?'_ You wonder to yourself as Angie speaks next. 

"Nyaha! Well, blessed be Atua because we discovered a really nice pool area! It's around the right corner of the school," Angie giggles as she clasps her hands together, sitting gracefully on the black bean bag chair.

"Nyeh, it's pretty nice..." Himiko adds, slowly liking the frosting off a cupcake, sharing the bean bag chair with Angie.

Tenko is standing next to them. "We should all definitely have a pool party at some point! It'd be so fun!" 

"The water _is_ pretty low though, but I think Atua would allow us to swim safely."

"Aaagreed."

"Y-Yes, Atua would... totally do that," Tenko adverts her attention as she gives into the Atua nonsense coming from the painter and mage.

"Well, we discovered a small handful of rooms," Kiyo comments, repositioning his lean against the wall. "The item we took was the red sphere, which, when placed in the dragon statue, unlocked a passageway to upstairs, allowing us to access the Ultimate Maid's lab and the Ultimate Entomologist's lab. In short, I am very intrigued in the technology affiliated with Monokuma and this school. To believe that humanity has progressed so far in the likes of technology in so few years is always a beautiful, exciting no-"

As Kiyo opens his arms wide, in awe of his own words, he is cut off by Kaito. "Yeah yeah yeah, we get it, you got a boner for history," Kaito chuckles heartly as he continues, "My boy Shuichi and I and Ryoma found the Ultimate Magican's lab when we investigated. It was in the hallway near the gym!" He smiles greatly as Himiko looks to him with excited eyes.

"Nyeh?" Himiko questions, sitting up.

"Gonta happy to have a room of bugs now!" Gonta cheers, clapping his hands.

"I wonder what items befall in my room?" Kirumi comments.

Breaking into a chaos of voices, everyone begins talking at once. You even start to join in the chaos this time, explaining to whoever is bothering to listen about how excited you are about having your lab unlocked and all the fun sweets you are going to make as soon as you can. Voice after voice overlaps each other until suddenly, Tsumugi walks to the center of the room. "GUYS!" She shouts, somehow able to grab everyone's attention. _'Tsumugi never wants everyone's attention, I wonder what's up?'_

With everyone now watching her, Tsumugi shrugs with a blush. "Haha, sorry, but I found this plain weird flashlight thing and I figured it would be plainly important, right?"

"Let me see that," You approach the shy cosplayer and take hold of the flashlight. It just looks like a huge flashlight. For some reason, you were expecting it to be something weird or unusual... that _is_ what most items found at the Ultimate Academy are like.

You begin to fidget with the light, all eyes on you, as it piques your interest more. "(Y/n), I'd be careful with th-" Shuichi suddenly jumps into the conversation after being quiet for so long, and he tries his best to run up to you with panicked hands. 

"Huh?" You ask, subconsciously switching on the light, curious if it works. Shuichi outstretches a hand to you before a huge, blinding ray of light overtakes your entire field of vision.

-*_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-*

_Blinding Light._

_..._

_I_ _t's Everywhere._

_... ... ..._

_You Feel... Alone._

_..._

_A Strange Sensation Trickles Up From Your Toes To Your Scalp. You Feel That Same Feeling As Before..._

_As If A Memory Is On The Tip Of Your Tongue But You Can't Quite Grasp It._

_Brighter._

_The Light Is Brighter._

_..._

_You Dive Into The Brightness, Finding Yourself In A Memory._

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

It's raining as you feel your feet pound against the wet asphalt street. The time is roughly two in the morning and you can't decipher your tears from the rain drops anymore. Of course, you're underdressed. You're always under dressed these days. It's not for a depressing reason or because you're being a rebel, but simply because you like your pink and black attire. It's cute and it screams who you are without having to explain yourself too much. But right now, that doesn't matter.

You just need to get to the dorm. You need to see him, but honestly anyone would work right now.

Sprinting down the street, you make a sharp turn, sliding, falling onto the muddy ground below. Great. Now you're drenched and covered in mud. That's just what you needed. But it doesn't matter as you quickly turn around, scrambling to get up. A dim, red light emits from the street in the distance. You can hear the sounds of their sprinting footsteps behind.

Why is this happening? Why now? After all this time, why the fuck now?!

Without wasting any time you come across a large building surrounded by a spiked, black fence that requires a key code. You know the key code already, almost all of your friends dorm but you. It doesn't matter. You type it in, quick, punching in number after number until you hear the gate click. With your fight or flight response turned all the way up, you shove the gate open, and run directly up to the door on the right. 

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! 

You refuse to yell, just in case if they dropped your scent completely by now. You have a chance. You just need someone to open. Open the door. Open the door! Open the door, open the door, openthedooropenthedoor!

"(Y/n)?" An all too familiar voice asks in a sleepy tone, the door creaking open ever so slightly.

You don't respond, but instead you push past him and shut the door behind both of you, locking it. Leaning against the sturdy door, you release a sigh of relief, allowing your body to sink to the floor below. Gradually, you try to catch your breath. You were never much for running. 

"What happened to you? Did you like wrestle a pig or something?" The boy questions, placing his hands on his hips.

You can't make out who he is. He looks blurry in your vision. Wet and blurry. You're crying. That's why. "They're b-back." You choke out, wiping your eyes with your bruised hands from falling. You are lucky. He was the one you wanted to talk to anyway. A symbol of hope in the darkness of despair,

"Oh, you're worried about those people again? Come on, that's nothing," He reaches down to you, careful to grab your forearms instead of hands, and helps lift you back up, onto your feet.

"B-B-But. You remember what they d-did to the others though... right?" You allow him to help you up, his hands feeling very warm against your damp skin.

"Yeah? So what? That's not us, riiiight? Plus, I'm sure those idiots will come to town and put a stop to it as soon as they can, so I wouldn't waste my breath on that nonsense," He holds you up still by keeping hold of your forearms. 

Finally, you bring your head up to meet his gaze. You squeeze your eyes tight as you let a giggle to leave your lips. He always knows what to say to make you feel better. He's right. It'll stop soon. You're worrying about nothing... even if that _is_ a lie... it's better than the truth. 

You reopen your eyes, meeting an annoyed Kokichi who is rolling his. "You really woke me up for this shit though? I can have you sent to a camp in Siberia for waking me at this hour, ya know?"

"Pfft, shut up," You giggle, giving him a light punch on the shoulder before allowing yourself to fall into his soft arms, and ultimately into a hug. "I just hope Future Foundation comes soon..."

"I'll make a few calls tomorrow morning, geeez," Kokichi whines, lightly returning your hug. He'd never admit that he likes hugging you. He's just _that_ kind of person.

"Liar liar, pants on fucking fire," You spit back, laughing, pulling away from the hug, and wiping a final tear from your cheeks.

"Fine, be like that. And to think I was gonna offer you some new clothes because you obviously ruined those ones."

"You mean offer me _Kaito's_ clothes, or Shuichi's?"

"Geez, you know me too well," He chuckles, before allowing his face to waver into a serious one. "Glad you came to me though, it'd suck if they caught you. I'd be preeeety bored."

"I'll always trust you," You smile at him, resulting in both of you blushing.

"Alright, I'm bored of this sappy nonsense," He throws his arms behind his head as he spins on his heels, away from you. "Let's go prank Shuichi with the whole warm water while sleeping thing! Nyhehe!"

"Yes! I _love_ pranks!"

The two of you venture up the stairs. You feel safer. Better. Hopeful.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

_Bright Light Once Again Overtakes Your Senses._

_..._

_Kokichi? Shuichi? Kaito? Future Foundation? What... What Does This All Mean._

_Did You All Know Each Other?_

_..._

_"I Will Always Trust You."_

_You Said That To That Liar But... Why? Because Of The Chase? Because Of Something Else? Why Do You Only Remember That And Nothing Else?_

_... ..._

_The Light Is Fading._

_You Wonder What Everyone Else Saw...._

_Surely You Didn't Know Anyone Beforehand... Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns?
> 
> What is everyone's theories so far? There will be an overarching plot that will tie into the flashbacks haha. Heads up, from this chapter forward, it will be like 80-90% different then the game so I hope you guys like it lmao
> 
> Also, if anyone wants to share fanart or anything or just like curious about me, feel free to follow my reddit @Gabster7039. (will delete this out of notes in a few days, but really feel free to follow, I don't care lol). I want to make some art of this personally so I'll def be posting it there when I do haha.


End file.
